We Used to Be Friends
by psych21
Summary: An AR story. Carter and Lucy were best friends until 6th grade, when Carter ditched Lucy for the popular kids. Lucy moved away right before high school. 12 years later, they meet up again as med students at County General. Can they become friends again?
1. We Used To Be Friends

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter One  
  
**Author's Note: I couldn't get this story out of my head, so I have finally decided to write it out. It's another Carcy story, but it's a little different than my other story, "The Lucky Ones". Please let me know what you think of this story. I'll probably only continue to write this story if people are interested in the plot. Thanks and enjoy!**

_A long time ago  
We used to be friends but I  
Haven't thought of you lately at all  
If ever again  
A greeting I send to you  
Short and sweet to the soul I intend_

26-year old Lucy Knight stood outside the building that would be her second home for the next two years—Cook County Hospital. When her family moved away from Chicago after her eight-grade year, she never intended on coming back. But now, twelve years later, she was back in Chicago as a 3rd year med student. Cook County hadn't been her first choice, but it was a great teaching hospital. Besides, she knew that she would have a roommate if she returned to Chicago. She was sharing an apartment with her oldest and dearest friend, Shelby Thomas. Shelby was the only person that Lucy kept in contact with after she moved away from Chicago. The only reason she wasn't too happy about coming back to Chicago was because of him. She was a little concerned that she would run into him at some point and time, but she hoped that he had moved far, far away. He was the reason why she was so glad that her mom had gotten a promotion at work, which made them move to Indiana. Just the thought of him made her blood boil and her heart race. But she was determined not to dwell on her past and instead focus on her future—a future that didn't include him. Smiling, she entered the ER.

John Carter sat in the waiting area, crammed in between sick children and sick elderly. He was stuck there in the waiting area until the other med student arrived. Then they would both be taken on a tour of the ER by Dr. Greene. He had to admit that he was a little nervous. Being a doctor was his only real goal in life, and now here he was in med school, very close to reaching his goal. Looking at his watch, he saw that the other med student was five minutes late. Inwardly, he cursed that med student for being irresponsible and keeping him waiting. He was early, so he didn't see why he needed to wait for someone who couldn't even get to the hospital on time.

Lucy approached the admit desk and saw a man standing on the other side. "Excuse me..."

Jerry looked up at the young woman in front of him and practically shoved a clipboard into her hands. "Fill out this paperwork and then go have a seat. We'll get to you as soon as we can." He replied gruffly.

Lucy put the clipboard back down on the desk. "No, I think there's been a mistake. I'm not here because I'm sick. My name is Lucy Knight. I'm a 3rd year med student and I'm looking for a Dr. Greene."

Jerry smiled. "Oh. Sorry about the attitude earlier. It's just been a mad house today."

"Oh. Don't worry about it." Lucy smiled back.

"I'll go get Dr. Greene." Jerry replied, rushing off to find Mark.

Lucy stood over by the admit desk and took a look around. She glanced over at the waiting area, doing a double take when she saw someone she didn't expect to see. Him. He had obviously grown up, but she could still tell that it was still him. She quickly turned back around, not wanting him to see her. She wondered what he was doing here. Did he still live in the Chicago area? He didn't look too sick. So what was he doing here?

"Lucy Knight?" Mark asked, approaching the young woman with blonde hair. He extended his hand for her to shake.

Lucy turned and shook his hand. "Yes. Hello. Are you Dr. Greene?"

"Yes." Mark waved for someone to join them. "Welcome to the ER. Since you are here now, I'm going to show you and the other med student around."

"Other med student?" Lucy asked.

"Yes." Mark smiled as Carter approached them. "Lucy, this is Carter."

"Hello." Carter smiled.

Lucy screamed on the inside. Carter was the other med student? Was God trying to play a practical joke on her? Because it wasn't funny! "Hello." She said quietly. She noticed that he was sticking his hand out for her to shake and she quickly shook his hand. Then she pulled her hand back to her side. She avoided looking at him, and instead looked at Dr. Greene.

Carter took a good look at the woman in front of him. She reminded him of someone he used to know. She looked a lot like...no, it couldn't be the same person. Could it? No, because if it was her, she would have recognized him and said something.

"So let's get this tour started." Mark exclaimed with excitement.

Lucy knew that she should be paying attention to everything that Dr. Greene said, and she was grasping maybe 60 of what he said. But her mind kept wandering to Carter, and to the past.

_A small, blonde girl of about six ran across the yard. She was giggling as she ran from a little boy. In her hands was a small toy stethoscope. _

"_Luce!" The boy called out to the girl. "Give it back!" _

"_No!" The girl yelled, sticking her tongue out at the boy. _

"_Come on! Give it back!" The boy finally had the girl cornered. There was nowhere left for her to run or hide. "Give it back!"_

"_What do you say?" The girl asked, putting her hands on her hips. _

_The boy grunted. "Please?" _

_The girl smiled and handed the stethoscope back to the boy. "What do you do with that thing?" _

"_You listen to people's hearts." The boy explained in a serious voice. _

_She made a funny face. "Why would you want to do that?" _

"_Because I'm going to be a doctor when I grow up." He proudly announced. _

_The girl laughed. "Sure you will John, and I'm going to be a fairy princess."_

"_I am too going to be a doctor!" he protested. He could see that she didn't believe him. "I'm telling the truth Lucy." _

_She rolled her eyes. "Whatever."_

"Any questions?" Mark asked Carter and Lucy.

The sound of Dr. Greene's voice brought Lucy back to the present.

"Actually, I have a question. Who are we going to be paired up with?" Carter asked.

"I was just getting to that part." Mark smiled, leading them into the lounge. "Good, you're here." He turned to Carter and Lucy. "This is Dr. Lewis. Lucy, you will be working with her."

"It's nice to meet you." Susan smiled warmly, shaking Lucy's hand.

"You too Dr. Lewis." Lucy smiled.

"Carter, you'll be with me." Mark announced.

"Ok." Carter nodded.

"Any other questions?" Mark asked. After a few minutes of silence, he nodded his head. "Ok. Let's get started then."

* * *

Lucy unlocked the door of her apartment and saw Shelby sitting on the couch eating leftover pizza and watching TV. "Hey." 

"Hey." Shelby greeted with a smile. "There's still some pizza if you're hungry."

"Thanks." Lucy replied, walking into the kitchen. She came out a few minutes later with some pizza and a coke.

"How was your first day?" Shelby asked, turning the TV to mute.

"Interesting, to say the least." Lucy grunted.

"What's wrong? What happened? Did you make a big fool of yourself?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. I wish that was the case. That would be a lot easier to deal with."

"Oh come on! It can't be as bad as you're making it seem. What happened?" Shelby prodded. Now that her curiosity was peaked, she wasn't going to let Lucy get away before telling her what happened.

"Ok." Lucy relented, getting ready to tell her. "Who is the one person that I've said I never want to see again?"

Shelby thought about the question for a moment and then came up with the only possible answer. John Carter. He is quite possibly the only person that Lucy has ever hated; although, Shelby always thought that one of the reasons Lucy hated Carter so much was because she had feelings for him. "So was he there because he was sick?"

"No." Lucy shook her head. "He's a med student just like me. I mean, what is the probability that we would get stuck in the same hospital?"

"Oh wow." She was shocked. She had no idea that Carter was in medical school. "What did he say to you?"

Lucy laughed and then looked down at the floor. "He didn't say anything. He didn't even remember me."

Shelby felt bad for Lucy. She could tell that her friend was really hurt by the fact that Carter didn't recognize her. "Lucy, you have changed a lot over these past twelve years. You got contacts and the braces are off. Not to mention you're hair is shorter and lighter, and..."

"Nice try, but it doesn't matter." Lucy replied, looking at her friend. "In fact, I'm glad he doesn't remember me." She knew that was a lie. As angry as she was at Carter for the way he treated her, a part of her still wanted him to at least recognize her. "I'm really tired and I gotta get up early tomorrow. I'm gonna go on to bed. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Shelby replied, sadly watching her friend walk to her bedroom. She wondered how Carter could not recognize Lucy. They had all been friends since they were little kids. Then middle school came and Carter ditched them. Personally, she wasn't as hurt or betrayed as Lucy. She hadn't known Carter as long as Lucy had. Lucy had been best friends with Carter for a long time before she moved in next to Lucy's house. Lucy took Carter's avoidance of them pretty hard, and was very upset with him over the way he shoved them aside so that he could be one of the popular kids. It was like Carter changed, and he seemed to think he was better than Lucy. She sighed, wishing things could have been different.

* * *

Carter entered his empty apartment and threw the keys down on the table. Today had been a long, interesting day. He was excited about working in the ER, but that wasn't what he was thinking about right now. He found his mind wandering to the other med student. Lucy. The resemblance between the Lucy he met today and the Lucy he knew when he was a kid was uncanny. It had to be the same girl. Right? If it is the same girl though, why didn't she say something to him? Did she not recognize him? Did she not remember him? Grabbing a beer from the refrigerator, he realized that he hadn't thought about Lucy in a long time. He sat in his favorite chair, drinking his beer and remembering the past. 

_"One for all..." Lucy started to say._

"_And all for one!" Shelby and Carter said at the same time. _

"_That's right," Lucy smiled, "because we are the Three Musketeers and we need to stick together." _

"_Forever." Shelby added. _

"_Forever." Carter smiled. _

He took a drink of his beer, and then smiled as he remembered when that happened. That was during the summer before their sixth grade year. They had all been friends for many years—too many to actually count. When you're that young, a year is similar to eternity. He had met Lucy first. They had been friends for a couple of years, and then Shelby moved to their school. They had welcomed her into their circle and a couple of years later they formed the Three Musketeers. The Three Musketeers was something they had started right before they went back for third grade. That was going to be the first year that they weren't all in the same class. Lucy was in the same class as he was, but Shelby had a different teacher. So Lucy had come up with the whole Three Musketeers idea to make Shelby feel better. It was supposed to make sure that they all remembered that they were best friends forever, no matter what happened.

_Carter walked into the cafeteria. It was their first day of sixth grade, and they only had one class and lunch together. He didn't see Lucy or Shelby, but heard someone call his name. He turned and walked over to a group of seventh-graders. "Hi." He greeted nervously._

_"You're Barbara's younger brother, right?" The older guy waited until Carter nodded to continue. "Why don't you sit with us today?" _

"_Well, I..." he looked around for Lucy and Shelby one more time. Not seeing them, he decided to sit with these people. "Sure." _

"_Great. I'm Kevin. This is Jack, Damon, Frank and Bob." Kevin pointed around the table. "Guys, this is Carter."_

_He wasn't sure that he liked people calling him by his last name instead of calling him John. But he was at a table with seventh graders. He figured that he was lucky to be sitting there and didn't have the right to complain. "Hi guys." He smiled. They started talking for a little while, and then he noticed Lucy and Shelby waving at him to come over and eat with them. _

_Kevin looked at Lucy and Shelby, and then looked at Carter. "Can I give you a piece of advise?" _

_Carter looked over at Kevin. "Uh, sure." _

"_Ditch the losers." Kevin nodded. _

"_What?" _

"_Those girls. Ditch them. You're in the unique position of being a sixth grader that gets to hang out with seventh graders and be in the 'cool' group. Associating with them will get you kicked out of the 'cool' group faster than you can say jello." Kevin explained. "It's just advise though. If you want to be a loser, then go ahead and eat with them." _

_Carter took one more look at Shelby and Lucy and then ignored them for the rest of lunch._

He wasn't sure why he chose to ignore them, he wasn't usually susceptible to peer pressure. He wasn't proud of himself for the way he treated Lucy and Shelby. It wasn't that he didn't care about their friendship. He did. He cared about their friendship a lot. But he also wanted to know what it was like to be in the 'cool' group. He'd never been in the 'cool' group, but he'd watched Barbara experience popularity. It looked like fun. Looking back on his decision, he knew it wasn't the right decision. Unfortunately, he couldn't turn back time and change that decision. He wondered if that Lucy was really the Lucy he knew as a kid and she was pretending not to know him because she was still mad at him. Or maybe she was just someone who looked a lot like the Lucy he used to be friends with. Either way, he needed to know for sure.

_Song Lyric: "We Used To Be Friends" By: The Dandy Warhols_


	2. The Charade

We Used to Be Friends

Chapter Two

_Shelby walked over to the table where Lucy was sitting and put her lunch on the table. "So how do you think you did on your history test today?" Shelby asked._

"_Horrible. I completely messed up on the part about General Lee." Lucy complained, taking a bite of her sandwich. _

_Shelby smiled. "Don't worry. You will still do better than me." _

"_What do you mean by that?" Lucy asked with a chuckle. _

"_Face it Lucy. You're super-smart." _

_She looked over at her best friend. "You're smart too Shelby. You just don't ever study." _

_Shelby laughed. "Well studying is pretty much all you do. I think you study enough for both of us." _

_Lucy didn't respond to that. She had never really liked school that much, but after sixth and seventh grade she found herself enjoying school. Now as they were in the middle of their eighth grade year, Lucy was starting to notice that studying was pretty much all she ever did. She took another bite of her sandwich and looked around the cafeteria. Her gaze soon fell upon a familiar face. He was over at the popular table again, laughing and joking with the other jocks and cheerleaders. This week he was sitting next to the head cheerleader, Ashley, and she was hanging on to every word he said. It made Lucy want to get sick. He seemed to have a new girlfriend every week, and they were all complete idiots. Sometimes when she looked at him, she couldn't believe that he was the same boy that she grew up with._

_Shelby looked over at what Lucy was staring at and rolled her eyes. "I don't know why they think Carter's so great. He's nothing but a grade-A jerk." _

"_They're all jerks." Lucy replied, her eyes not leaving that table. "That's why he fits in so well." She threw the remains of her sandwich in her lunch bag when she heard the bell ring. "We better get going. If we're late to English again, Mr. Ellington will give us an after-school detention." _

"_Ok." Shelby resigned. She hated going to English class; she hated pretty much every class. But she didn't want to be the reason why Lucy got an after-school detention. Lucy's permanent record was devoid of any kind of trouble. She always wondered what would happen if Lucy ever got in serious trouble at school. Maybe her head would explode or she would melt into a puddle. _

_Lucy started walking to the door, but stopped and turned back to face Shelby. "Come on Shel-" All of a sudden, Lucy found herself being knocked to the ground. Her books and lunch bag fell to the ground next to her, scattering in all different directions. She looked up and saw that the person who knocked her down was Ashley. Of course she didn't even stopped or turn to make sure that she was ok. She knew that Ashley had to have run into her on purpose. It wasn't the first time that one of Carter's friends had done something like that to her, and she knew it wouldn't be the last either. Shaking her head in disgust, she angrily gathered up her books and ran off. She didn't even wait for Shelby. She just had to get away from Ashley._

Lucy woke up and looked at the clock. 6:03. She had to be at the hospital at 8. After debating whether or not to go back to sleep for another half hour, she finally decided to get up. She wandered into the kitchen, wishing she could get Carter out of her head.

"Hey. Ready for a brand new day?" Shelby asked with a huge smile.

Lucy ignored Shelby's question and walked over to pour herself a cup of coffee. She couldn't understand how Shelby could be so cheery in the morning, no matter what was going on in her life. She had always known Shelby to be a morning person.

Shelby knew that Lucy would ignore her question. She always did. Every morning she would ask Lucy if she was ready for a new day, and every day Lucy would ignore her question because Lucy wasn't a morning person. She was more of a night owl. Taking a drink of her own coffee, she tried to think of a good way to bring up a subject that she was sure Lucy would try her best to avoid.

Lucy looked over at Shelby after drinking some of her coffee. "I had the weirdest dream last night."

"Really? What was it?" Shelby asked. Lucy's dreams were always interesting and far more imaginative than her own.

"Well it wasn't actually a dream, so much as a memory disguised as a dream." Lucy admitted. "I keep thinking about him and what happened in middle school."

Shelby knew that 'him' was Carter, and silently thanked God for the perfect opportunity to talk to Lucy about him. "So since you're working together..."

"We're not working together!" Lucy interrupted. "We're working in the same hospital."

"It's the same thing." Shelby rolled her eyes. "But are you going to let him know who you are?"

"No." Lucy replied quickly, shaking her head. "No way."

"Why not?" Shelby asked.

"Because of a million reasons. One of them being the fact that I don't care anymore." Lucy knew she was lying, but only hoped that Shelby wouldn't figure it out too.

"That's a load of crap Lucy!" Shelby exclaimed. "You and I both know that you still care about him, or else you wouldn't be dreaming about him."

"I'm not dreaming of him! I'm dreaming of the past, which just happens to have included him." Lucy clarified.

"Whatever." Shelby shook her head, not wanting to argue about this. "But just answer this one last question. What if he remembers who you are on his own? Are you going to admit it then?"

Lucy thought about it for a moment. "No. I won't. What's the point? Why would it matter? We're not friends anymore. We quit being friends a long time ago because he got tired of us. Well I for one am tired of him. I don't see the point of bringing up the past with him." After saying that, she left the kitchen.

Shelby watched her friend leave and shook her head. Lucy was definitely in denial. Now if only there was a way to make her see that.

* * *

Carter entered the ER, intent on talking to Lucy when he got a chance. The more he thought about it last night, the more he was convinced that Lucy was the same girl that he grew up with. The resemblance was just too much to be coincidental. It had to be her. He was putting his stuff in his locker when he saw her come into the lounge.

Lucy entered the lounge and wasn't too happy to find Carter there. But she hid her feelings and walked over to her locker, which happened to be next to his.

"Hi." Carter greeted with a huge smile.

Lucy looked over at him. It took all of her restraint not to slap that smile off of his face. "Hi." She replied softly before going back to what she was doing.

He sneaked a few glances at her while she was putting her purse in her locker. "So, you..." he was going to ask her if she was the same Lucy he knew before, but Dr. Greene came into the lounge.

"Carter! Glad you're here. I have a patient for you to see." Mark exclaimed. Then he saw Lucy. "Good morning Lucy."

"Good morning Dr. Greene." Lucy smiled.

Carter looked at Lucy strangely. She didn't smile like that at him when he said hello to her. He actually found himself a little hurt that she hadn't smiled at him like that.

"Carter, what are you waiting for? You have a patient!" Mark yelled, getting Carter's attention.

Carter snapped out of his thoughts. He'd try to talk to Lucy later. "Sorry. I'll get to that patient right now."

"Good." Mark nodded, leading Carter out to the admit desk.

Lucy was glad that Carter was gone. Even though she kept trying to tell Shelby that she didn't care Carter was working at the hospital with her, she did. There was a part of her that still wanted to be his friend. But there was also the part of her that couldn't forgive him for the past. She slammed her locker shut and walked out of the lounge to find Dr. Lewis.

* * *

The rest of the day went by rather quickly. Lucy was starting to feel more comfortable around the ER. Everyone was very nice, and she could tell that she was going to get along with Dr. Lewis. She walked out of an exam room with Dr. Lewis after treating a patient with a bad bacterial infection. "So what's going to happen to the patient now?" Lucy asked out of curiosity.

Susan looked at her young med student and smiled. "I think he'll be ok. We'll get him admitted and antibiotics should clear the infection up in a couple of days."

"Good." Lucy smiled.

Susan looked at the clock. "You did well today Lucy. But what time does your shift end?"

Lucy looked at the clock. "Oh wow. It ended an hour ago. I guess the time flew by."

Susan laughed. "It has a tendency to do that in this place. Go home and get some sleep. You'll need it for tomorrow because there will be a whole new batch of sick people coming in."

"See you tomorrow." Lucy smiled, walking into the lounge. She walked over to her locker, thinking about how well today had gone. She had helped people—real people. Up until now, she was studying and reading about how to help people. But now, she was actually making a difference. It made her feel good. She was so deep in thought that she didn't see Carter sitting on the couch by the window.

Carter watched Lucy come in, knowing that she had no idea he was in there. She looked too deep in thought about something. He got up and walked over to her. He had been waiting for her shift to end, knowing that she would have to come into the lounge before she left. "Hi Lucy."

Lucy was frightened by the sudden appearance of another person in the room and jumped. She looked over and saw Carter standing only a few feet away from her. "Oh, hi."

He decided to bring up a neutral topic first before diving into the serious subject he wanted to bring up. "So how are things going with you? Are you enjoying this so far?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "This place is great." She knew that she had to at least try to be polite and courteous to him. "Do you like it?"

"Definitely." He smiled.

She stood there, not enjoying the awkward silence that had developed between them. "Well I'm hungry, so I'm going to go get something to eat. I'll see you tom..."

He saw an opportunity and jumped in. "Mind if I join you? Cause I'm starved. I didn't get a chance to have lunch."

She did mind if he joined her. But what was she supposed to say? No I don't want you to come? She couldn't say that. She plastered a fake smile on her face. "Sure."

"Great." He replied as they left the lounge together. "So what are you in the mood for?"

"Chinese, if that's ok." She replied, not looking at him. Instead, she was trying to figure out how she was going to get through this dinner.

"Chinese sounds good."

* * *

The walk to the Chinese restaurant and the beginning of their meal was silent too because they were both thinking about the same thing. Lucy was trying to keep Carter from recognizing who she was, while Carter was trying to find a nice way of asking Lucy if she was the Lucy he used to know.

Finally, Carter couldn't stand the suspense or the silence anymore. "You remind me of someone." He stated.

Lucy was using chopsticks, or at least trying to. She wasn't very good at it, and never had been. When she heard Carter's statement, she jumped, causing the shrimp and rice in her chopsticks to fly across the table. "Oops." She laughed nervously.

He laughed too. "You aren't going to be a surgeon, are you?"

"Uh, no. I'm definitely not a surgeon. I don't think I'd do very well since I can't even control chopsticks." Lucy laughed. Despite herself, she was actually starting to relax and have a good time.

"So like I was saying before, you definitely remind me of someone." Carter told her again. "Oddly enough, she even has the same name as you. Isn't that weird?"

The relaxed feeling she was having earlier suddenly left. "Uh, yes. It's very weird." Lucy replied, hoping that he hadn't figured it all out.

"She also couldn't control her chopsticks." He was trying to trap her into admitting the truth.

"Well that's not uncommon." Lucy replied, shrugging. "The majority of people in this country can't use chopsticks correctly."

"I suppose. But you look exactly like her. So either you're identical twins separated at birth through some horrible hospital mix-up, or you really are the same Lucy that I grew up with and for some reason you're pretending that you don't know me. So which is it?" He stared at her. "Horrible hospital mix-up or funny practical joke?"

She didn't know what to do. A part of her wanted to admit the truth and start screaming at him, but another part of her wanted to just keep pretending that she didn't know him. It would be rather ironic. After all, he spent years pretending that he didn't know her. So in a way, he deserved it. "It must be a horrible hospital mix-up." She told him, looking down at her food and then back at him. "I think I'd remember if I grew up with you, but I just met you yesterday. I think you're mistaken."

He could tell that she was lying because of the look in her eye. He recognized that look. She was the same Lucy, and she was pretending that she didn't know him. Now all he needed to do was figure out why. "Well I'm sorry if I mistook you for someone else."

"You have." Lucy told him, looking at her watch. "If you'll excuse me, I should get going. I'll see you at the hospital tomorrow."

He watched her walk out of the restaurant. He couldn't figure out why she was being so distant to him. Was she still mad that he ditched her and Shelby in middle school? Cause that was a long time ago and if given a chance, he'd apologize for his actions.

* * *

Lucy entered the apartment, throwing her purse on the couch. She should have looked at the couch before throwing her purse there though because Shelby was sitting there.

"Ouch! Lucy! Are you trying to kill me?" Shelby exclaimed, putting her purse on the floor and rubbing the part of her head that the purse hit.

"Sorry Shelby. Didn't see you there."

"Obviously." She looked at Lucy, who looked upset. "You ok?"

"He remembered who I am." Lucy reported.

"So what did you do?" Shelby asked, turning off the TV. Who needed a TV show when she had total access to all the drama she could ever want through Lucy's life?

"I told him he was wrong." Lucy replied. "I don't think he believed me though."

"Of course not. He may be a jerk, but he's a smart jerk." Shelby pointed out. "Honestly! Did you actually think that he wouldn't remember you? I mean you guys grew up together. Whether you like it or not, he knows you."

"No, he knew me. I'm not the same person I was back then."

"Maybe he isn't either." Shelby pondered out-loud.

"Whose side are you on? Mine or his?" Lucy asked, getting angry. "Have you forgotten what his so-called friends did to me through-out middle school, and how he never once stood up for me or tried to stop them?"

"No of course I haven't forgotten that." Shelby sighed. "You know I'm on your side Lucy. I always have been and I always will be. But I just want to point out that maybe Carter's different now. If you've changed, then why is it so impossible that he has too?"

She was silent for a moment. Maybe Shelby was right. Maybe Carter was different now. Maybe he wasn't a jerk anymore. But what if he was? "I don't want to talk about this anymore." She told Shelby, walking out of the room.

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story! Since there seems to be an audience for it, I've decided to continue writing it. Thanks!**


	3. Unlikely Visitor

We Used to Be Friends

Chapter Three

_Well, it's too late to say you're sorry  
How would I know  
__Why should I care_

The next week and a half went by rather quickly for Carter. He was finally getting accustomed to the ER and was learning a lot. He was also enjoying the feeling he got from helping people. The only thing that he didn't like was the fact that Lucy was avoiding him like he had the plague. He knew for sure that she was just pretending that she didn't know him, and after thinking about it for a while, he finally figured out a way to reach out to her. It was his day off, so he didn't have to hurry as much as he got ready for the day. He grabbed the phone book out from the desk drawer and sat on the couch. After finding the 'T's, he searched for Thomas. "Let's see. There's a lot of Thomas' in the phone book." He finally found what he was searching for. "Shelby Thomas." He circled that name and address in a red pen before tearing out that page from the phone book. He grabbed his keys and that paper before leaving.

* * *

Lucy grabbed her purse and then looked back at Shelby, who was sitting on the couch doing some work. It was Lucy's day off and she had some errands to run. "Anything you need while I'm out?"

"No thanks." Shelby replied.

"Ok. I'll be back later." Lucy smiled, leaving the apartment.

* * *

About a half-hour later, there was a knock on the door. Shelby got up from the couch and opened the door. She stood there, shocked at what she was seeing. It was one thing for Lucy to tell her what he looked like. It was quite another to see it first-hand. He had definitely grown-up, but he still somehow had that boyish charm about him. "I didn't expect to see you again." She finally said, getting over her initial shock.

"It has been a long time Shelby, hasn't it?" Carter asked.

"Yep, it sure has." Shelby replied, eyeing him suspiciously. She wasn't sure what to do. If she let him in and Lucy came home while he was here, Lucy would definitely be mad at her. But she was curious about why Carter was at her doorstep. "Do you want to come in?"

"Sure." He entered the apartment, taking a look around. It wasn't a huge apartment, but it was well decorated. "Nice place."

"Thanks." Shelby smiled. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"Uh, no thanks." Carter replied. Coming over here had sounded like a wonderful plan, but now that he was here, he wasn't so sure it was a good idea.

She cleared off a part of the couch that was covered with the work she was doing. "Please, have a seat."

Carter sat on the couch next to her, trying to think of what to say next. "So how are you?"

"I'm fine." Shelby replied, laughing on the inside about how nervous he was to even be in the same room with her. "And you?"

"Fine. I'm in med school now. I work over at County General." Carter explained.

"That's great." Shelby replied, pretending that she was hearing this information for the first time. "I'm a graphic design artist now."

He was confused. Growing up, Shelby had always talked about becoming a lawyer. "What happened to your plan of becoming a lawyer?"

She laughed. "Well that was a long time ago. I changed my mind somewhere around the eighth grade."

Carter just nodded. "I'm sorry that it's been so long since we've talked."

"It's ok." Shelby smiled. "So what brings you here?" Shelby asked. She was incredibly curious, but knew that it must have something to do with Lucy.

"Well, it's about Lucy."

"I figured it was about her." Shelby nodded.

"I..." Carter started.

Just then, the door opened and Lucy came in with a couple of bags of groceries. She didn't notice Carter was there until she shut the door and was on her way to the kitchen. When she saw him, she immediately froze in the place she was standing.

Carter felt vindicated. If Lucy was living with Shelby, then he was right and she was just pretending not to know him. "Hello Lucy."

Shelby looked back and forth between Lucy and Carter. She wondered what was going to happen now.

Lucy knew that now the charade was over and there was no way to hide anymore. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Shelby." He told her. "I didn't know that you lived here too."

She laughed sarcastically. "No offense Shelby, but I highly doubt that all of a sudden he's come by to check in on you. He probably didn't even remember that we existed until last week." She then remembered that she had groceries in her hand and walked over to the kitchen to put them away.

Carter followed her into the kitchen. "How long where you going to try and make be believe that you were really someone else?"

Lucy put the milk in the refrigerator. "As long as possible."

"Did you really think that I wouldn't recognize you? Did you think I was that stupid?"

She laughed. "I was hoping."

"Why? Why did you go through all that trouble?" He asked, unable to control the hurt that came across in his voice.

She looked up at him. "I don't know. Maybe I just didn't want to talk to you. Maybe I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine."

"And just what's that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Well all through-out middle school you acted like Shelby and I didn't exist!" she yelled.

"So it was revenge for something that happened over a decade ago?"

"Yes...no...I don't know!" She had been putting away the groceries while yelling at him, but now she had stopped. She was standing with her back to him. "I don't know why I did it. Maybe I just wanted to hurt you like you hurt me." She said in a lower voice.

He fell silent after he heard her confession. The truth was, he didn't really think that he had hurt her that badly. He knew that he had hurt her by abandoning their friendship, but he had always justified it by reasoning that she still had Shelby. It wasn't like he left her to be completely alone. He hadn't realized that his actions had such a big impact on her. "I'm sorry."

"I think it's too late to say I'm sorry." She whispered.

"Well I don't." He argued.

She walked past him and went back into the living room, where Shelby was getting her purse.

"I'm going to leave and give you two some time alone." Shelby explained. She knew that they had issues to work through and her only hope was that they could get through them.

"Don't bother. Carter was just leaving." Lucy replied, glaring angrily at him.

"Actually, no I wasn't." He told her forcefully.

"Right." Shelby replied. "I'll see you later Lucy. Nice to see you again Carter."

"You too." Carter replied, not looking over at Shelby. His gaze was fixated on Lucy. "Will you at least listen to my apology?"

"Why? It won't make a difference."

"Please?" He pleaded.

She sighed. "Fine. Apologize. Knock yourself out. It won't do you any good though."

He could tell that it would be hard to make her forgive him, but he had to try. "You were wrong earlier. I never forgot that you and Shelby existed."

"It sure seemed like you did." Lucy interrupted.

"Well I didn't. I missed you guys." He replied honestly.

Lucy laughed. "Oh I doubt that."

"This would be a lot easier if you could give me the benefit of the doubt here." He pointed out.

"Ok. Fine." She threw her hands up.

"I never meant to hurt you. If I could go back, I'd change my actions. But we were kids. Part of childhood is making mistakes. Ditching you and Shelby was my mistake, and I'll always be sorry for that. But there's nothing I can do about that now. It was a long time ago. I can't go back in time and change things." He paused. "I guess I just wanted to be popular for once. Barbara was always popular, and it looked like fun."

"So you were seduced by the thought of popularity?" She laughed.

"In a way, yeah." He agreed.

"That's a lame excuse—possibly even the lamest thing that's ever come out of your mouth!"

"Lame or not, it is the truth." He explained. "Shelby seems to have forgiven me. Why can't you?"

"Shelby's a very forgiving person. She's definitely much more forgiving than I am." Lucy replied.

He was starting to get frustrated now. "What can I do to make you forgive me?"

"I don't know." She replied softly. "You were my best friend! You knew me better than I knew myself and I thought that you would always be there for me. We made a pact to stick together no matter what happened, but you intentionally broke that pact the first chance you got. I never thought that you would throw our friendship away for some stupid popularity. But it did show me what I really meant to you. I was just a stand-in until you could maneuver yourself into the popular group and have a bunch of bubble-headed cheerleaders and jocks hanging on to every word you said."

"You have to know that's not true!" He objected. "You were my best friend too, and you meant a lot to me."

"Obviously not enough though." She stated, her voice devoid of anger and filled with hurt.

"Can we just start over?" He suggested.

"No." She shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Why not? I want my friends back. I want you back. I've missed you."

"Maybe you should have thought about that before you dumped us." Lucy replied, still not looking at him. She walked over to the door and opened it. "I think you should leave now."

"We're not done talking yet." Carter objected.

"Yeah we are. We're not friends anymore. We haven't been for a long time. So deal with it. I know I have." Her voice was harsh because she was trying to make him understand the situation they were in.

"Luce..." Using the nickname that he had created for her was his last resort to get her to let him stay. Maybe if he brought that up, she would let him stay a little longer.

It had been a long time since she had heard him call her Luce. She hated it when other people called her by that, but she loved the way he said it. A part of her wanted to let him stay and catch up on what had happened in the past twelve years. She had missed him terribly. But she was still mad at him, and wasn't sure that she could get past the anger and hurt. "I know what you're doing, and it won't work."

"What am I doing?" He asked, acting innocent.

"You're calling me Luce. You think that if you do that, I'll let you stay longer and you'll magically be able to change my mind." She pointed out. "I still know how your mind works."

"And I still know how your mind works." He pointed out smugly. "You want to let me stay, but there's something inside that's telling you to push me away. You always try to push people away when they have hurt you. It's your way of dealing with life, and it has been ever since your father left you."

She inwardly cursed the fact that he still knew her so well, and she cursed his smugness. But she had to admit that she had missed his smug attitude over the years. She was seriously considering letting him stay.

"I'm not letting you push me away. If you really want me to leave, I will. But I'm not giving up on our friendship Luce." He was hoping that she would let him stay. He could tell that he was starting to change her mind.

She closed her eyes, trying to stop the tears that were forming. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of him. "I do want you to leave." She whispered.

Carter hung his head. "Ok. Then I will. But I'm not giving up on you. Sooner or later, you're going to forgive me."

As soon as he left, she closed the door and slid down to the floor. Bringing her knees up to her chest, she put her head down and started to cry. He was right. If someone hurt her, her first thought was to push them away and not let them have another chance to hurt her again. She did really want to forgive him, but she didn't want to get hurt again.

* * *

By the time Shelby came back into the apartment, Lucy was hiding in her bedroom. She walked over to Lucy's door and knocked softly. "Lucy, you ok in there?"

"I'm fine." Lucy yelled back.

"Can I come in?" She wanted to make sure that Lucy was really fine and not just pretending.

Lucy didn't answer. Instead, she just opened up the door. "I'm fine. See?"

Shelby smiled. She could tell that Lucy was still upset, but at least she wasn't falling apart. That was a good sign. "Well I rented your favorite movie. Wanna watch it with me? We can make some popcorn."

"You got 'When Harry Meets Sally?'"

"Yep. Come on! It will be fun." Shelby laughed.

Lucy slowly started to smile and threw her arms around Shelby, giving her a big hug. "Thank you."

"For what?" Shelby asked. "All I did was rent a movie."

"No, not for that." Lucy laughed. "I meant thanks for being such a good friend."

The smile that was on Shelby's face fell a little. "You probably don't want to talk about what happened, do you?"

"Not really." Lucy shook her head.

"Ok. Then just let me say this one thing before we drop the subject." Shelby paused, making sure that Lucy didn't object. "I know that you are aware that holding a grudge for something that happened that long ago isn't very healthy. But I also know that you don't forgive people very easily. All I'm asking is that you at least try to forgive him. I think he's really sorry."

"I'll think about it." Lucy nodded.

"Ok." The smile returned to Shelby's face. "Now let's go make some popcorn!"

"Ok." Lucy smiled.

_Song Lyrics: "She's Not There" By: Santana_  
  
**A/N: Thanks to everyone who has reviewed this story! I really appreciate the feedback. **


	4. Vertigo

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Four

**A/N: First off, let me say a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story. _Leilani_- I'm not sure if I want to include the Carter and Lucy stabbing in this story. It's possible that it might happen but, as of right now, the chances of it happening is very slim. Starting in this chapter, the story will be centered more around the hospital and there will be more doctors making an appearance. _Hoeft and ashes420_- I'm glad that you both are enjoying my story, and I'm sorry that you have gone through a situation similar to this. Ok, enough of me talking! Here's chapter four!**

_I've tried so hard my dear to show that you're my every dream. _

_Yet you're afraid each thing I do is just some evil scheme. _

_A memory from your lonesome past keeps us so far apart. _

_Why can't I free your doubtful mind and melt your cold, cold heart? _

Two days later

"Pass the cereal please." Lucy asked Shelby as they sat at the small table in the kitchen.

Shelby passed her the cereal. "So have you given any thought to finally forgiving Carter?"

"Why are you so set on getting me to forgive him?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"Because you guys were friends for a long time. I don't want to see you guys throw that away." Shelby explained.

"He was the one who threw it away!" Lucy pointed out. "He left us!"

"Yeah, he did." She sighed. "But I forgive him."

"Why? I don't understand. How can you forgive him so easily?" Lucy exclaimed.

Shelby smiled and let out a small chuckle. "Well I forgave you for leaving me when you moved to Indiana, didn't? So I have to forgive Carter too because I don't want to be a hypocrite."

"Those are two totally separate things!" Lucy protested. "I couldn't help it that my mom got a job promotion that made us have to move. Carter chose to abandon us."

She shook her head. "But you still both abandoned me. The details weren't the same, but the underlying concepts were." Shelby sighed. "Look, I was mad at him when he abandoned us and I was mad at you when you left. But I got over it, and you should too."

"How long were you mad at me?" Lucy asked, a little disturbed by this new revelation. "Cause you never told me that you were mad."

"It wasn't for a very long time," Shelby explained, "and I was actually more hurt than mad."

"I'm sorry." Lucy apologized.

"Don't worry about it!" She smiled. "It's in the past, and I believe that things in the past should stay in the past."

"Oh that was very subtle!" Lucy exclaimed. "So that's the reason you want me to forgive Carter?"

"Well, that, and I also have another reason." Shelby grinned.

"What?" Lucy asked.

"You two would make the cutest couple!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on! Don't play dumb." Shelby exclaimed. "I know that you've had feelings for him for the longest time. That's why you broke off your engagement to Ben."

"No! I broke off my engagement to Ben because neither of us were deeply in love with each other. We were much better off as friends." Lucy explained.

"You say that, but it was really because you were, and still are, in love with Carter. You always have been. That's why you've been so mad at him for leaving."

"No! You're wrong." Lucy protested. She didn't love Carter, but at times she did have some feelings for him. That doesn't mean she's in love with him though.

"Whatever." Shelby smiled, getting up and leaving the kitchen. "But I know you Lucy, and I've seen the way you look at him. Maybe it's not love, but there is something there."

"You are so wrong!" Lucy yelled.

"Whatever you say! Don't forget that we're going to that jazz club tonight!" Shelby yelled from the living room.

Lucy came out from the kitchen with her coffee cup. "I won't. Come by the hospital at eight. I should be ready then."

"Ok. Bye." Shelby replied before leaving to go to work.

* * *

Shelby dropped by the ER. She was supposed to come and meet up with Lucy after her shift ended so that they could go out to a new club that Shelby had heard about from a co-worker. When she entered the ER, she saw Carter standing at the admit desk. But she didn't see Lucy anywhere. "Hi." Shelby greeted, approaching Carter. 

Carter looked up and saw Shelby standing there. He smiled. "Hey. What brings you here?" Then he got worried. "You aren't sick, are you?"

"No, I'm fine." Shelby laughed. "I came to pick Lucy up, but I thought I'd come over and say hello."

"Well I'm glad that you did." He replied. "So are you and Lucy going to dinner or something?"

"Actually, we're going to a jazz club that I heard about. Have you ever been to Vertigo?" Shelby asked.

"No I haven't." He replied, shaking his head. "But I have heard good things about it. I hope you two have fun."

"Thanks." Shelby replied. "So how are things between you and Lucy right now?"

The smile that had been on his face immediately turned into a look of sadness. "She's still trying to ignore me as much as possible. I don't think she's ever going to forgive me."

"Ah, she's just hurt." Shelby assured him. "She depended on you a lot, and then suddenly you weren't there anymore. I think she's worried that if you two become friends again, you're just gonna do the same thing to her. It's a pretty normal fear, but right now she's letting it control her life. Just give her some time. Pretty soon she'll get tired of listening to me campaign to forgive you, and she'll give in. Cause I think we can both agree that peer pressure is very effective, can't we?"

Carter laughed at the irony. Peer pressure was what got him in this mess, and now Shelby was trying to help him by using peer pressure with Lucy. "Yeah. Peer pressure is definitely a powerful thing."

"Just hang in there. Things will get better." Shelby smiled.

"Thanks for the pep talk." Carter chuckled.

"Anytime!" Shelby laughed.

Lucy came out of the lounge and saw Shelby talking to Carter. They looked like they were having a good time. She plastered on a smile and approached them. Ignoring Carter's presence, she turned to Shelby. "Hey Shelby. You ready to go?"

Shelby turned to face Lucy and noticed that Carter was right. Lucy was ignoring him. "Uh, yeah, sure."

Dave walked up to Lucy. "Lucy, have you discharged the man in exam three?"

"Yeah. I did that about an hour ago." Lucy explained. "Why?"

"He hasn't left yet. He claims that he's not been released yet." Dave told her. "Weaver told me to make sure that you get him to leave or else neither of us can leave tonight."

"Ok." Lucy sighed. "I'll take care of it." She turned to face Shelby. "Sorry. It will only take a minute."

Dave took a closer look at the woman standing next to Lucy. She had flowing brown hair and sparkling brown eyes that reminded him of Audrey Hepburn. "Hey Lucy, aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Lucy looked at Dave, and then at Shelby. "Sorry. Dave Malucci, this is Shelby Thomas."

"It's very nice to meet you, but it's Dr. Dave Malucci." Dave grinned, holding out his hand to Shelby.

Shelby shook his hand and took a closer look at him. He was definitely cute and she couldn't help but want to get to know him better. There was something about him that was...alluring. "Well it's nice to meet you too Dr. Malucci."

"Please, call me Dave." He smiled.

Lucy took a look at Dave and then at Shelby. She smiled as she realized that they were obviously flirting with each other. She knew that look in Shelby's eyes meant that she was interested in a particular guy. Her gaze fell on Carter, who was staring at her intently. He looked like he was about to say something to her. "I'm gonna go discharge the guy in exam three again." She decided to leave before he could talk to her.

"So is your shift over?" Shelby asked Dave when Lucy left.

"Yeah, as soon as Lucy gets the guy in exam three to leave." Dave nodded.

"Well Lucy and I are going to a jazz club tonight." She looked back at Carter and then at Dave. "Why don't you guys join us?"

"I'd love to." Dave replied immediately.

"Great." Shelby smiled. She then turned to Carter. "So what about you? You wanna come with us?"

"Shelby, I don't think that's a good idea given the current situation between Lucy and I." Carter shook his head.

"Oh come on! It will be fun." Shelby assured him.

"Lucy won't think it's fun. She doesn't want to be around me." Carter assured her.

"What'd you do to her?" Dave asked out of curiosity.

"It's a long story." Shelby answered, not wanting to bring it up at this moment. "Come on Carter! She may not want to admit it to anyone, but she does want to be around you. You of all people know how she is. She's too stubborn for her own good. Sometimes we just have to push her a little bit."

He thought about it for a moment. Maybe he would be able to break through a part of the wall that Lucy had built up around herself. "Ok. I'll come. But Lucy's not going to be very happy with you for inviting me."

"She can be as mad as she wants, but this is for her own good." Shelby replied with a smile.

Lucy walked back up to the group. "The exam room is empty. I got him to leave."

"Good." Dave replied. He then followed Carter into the lounge so that they could drop off their things in their lockers before leaving.

"So are you ready to go?" Lucy asked, looking at Shelby.

"No. We have to wait for Dave and Carter." Shelby replied.

"Why?" Lucy asked, hoping that Shelby didn't just invite them to come along. "You invited to come, didn't you?"

Shelby looked down at the ground and then up at Lucy. "Yeah, maybe I did."

"Shelby!" Lucy exclaimed, getting upset. "Ok, I can understand why you'd ask Dave to come. You were shamelessly flirting with him. But why bring Carter along?"

"Because I didn't want to make you feel like a third wheel. I thought it would be better if there were four of us, and he was standing right here. Besides, he's never been to Vertigo. I thought it would be nice to include him..."

"Ugh! I can't believe you sometimes!"

"Well don't be mad. Please?" Shelby asked.

Lucy took a deep breath. She could get through an evening with Carter. It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world. "Ok. I give up!"

"Good. Who knows, maybe you'll even have a good time." Shelby smiled.

Lucy laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, maybe."

* * *

The four of them arrived at Vertigo and found a booth on the side. Dave made sure that he was sitting at the end of the booth next to Shelby, and Lucy sat on the other side of Shelby. Carter slid into the booth next to Lucy. They had ordered their drinks and were making small talk. 

"It's a nice place." Shelby commented, trying to keep the conversation going. Lucy wasn't talking very much, and it seemed that all Carter wanted to do was look at Lucy. That left the burden of keeping up the conversation to her and Dave.

"Yeah, it is nice." Dave agreed. He looked over at Shelby. "I love this song. Would you like to dance with me?"

Shelby smiled. This would be a good opportunity to push Carter and Lucy into talking to each other while she got to dance with Dave. "Uh, sure."

And within ten seconds, Lucy was left alone with Carter. She took one look over at him. Once she saw that he was still looking at her, she looked away and stared into her drink. She didn't know what to say to him. So instead, she focused on watching Shelby and Dave. They looked like they were having a good time and really hitting it off. It was nice to see Shelby looking happy.

"They look good together." Carter said, noticing that Lucy was watching Shelby and Dave.

"I was just thinking that too." Lucy admitted.

They sat there in silence, each taking in the atmosphere of the club. "I know that you weren't happy I came along tonight."

She closed her eyes, not sure what to say to that. There was a part of her that was happy that he came. She liked being around him, even now. That's what scared her. She would deny it to Shelby, but she was starting to have feelings for him that were beyond friendly, and that was confusing her. So it just seemed easier to avoid him.

"I'm sorry if I've ruined your evening by coming along." He apologized. "It wasn't my intention."

"Well, you haven't ruined it." She started to smile and looked over at him. "You've definitely made it more awkward, but you haven't ruined it."

He laughed. "Well that's good to know."

* * *

Shelby looked over at Carter and Lucy. She smiled when she saw that they were talking, and not screaming at each other. That was a good sign. 

"What's are you looking at?" Dave asked, turning his head.

"Carter and Lucy. I'm trying to get Lucy to forgive Carter."

"For what? What did he do?" Dave asked.

"Like I said, it's a long story." Shelby replied.

"I've got time, and I'd love to hear the whole thing if it means that I can be around you longer." He smiled.

She smiled back. The more time she spent with him, the more she liked this guy. They seemed to have this instant connection, and that was a rare thing for Shelby to find. "Well, I don't want to bore you with all of the details. I'll just give you the abridged version. Carter, Lucy, and I grew up together. We were the best of friends until Carter kind of turned his back on us and joined the popular kids. His new friends made it their life goal to torment Lucy as much as possible during middle school. She moved to Indiana after eighth grade. Lucy was, well is, very mad at Carter for the whole thing because he never tried to stop his friends from coming after her. They hadn't seen each other since before she moved, so it was a shock to both of them when they ended up both being assigned to County General. I keep trying to get her to forgive him, but she's very stubborn."

Dave laughed. "So the three of you were best friends growing up?"

"Yeah, but Lucy and Carter knew each other longer. I moved into their neighborhood from St. Louis." Shelby explained with a laugh. "But yeah, we were the Three Musketeers."

"The Three Musketeers? That's cute." Dave laughed. "You know, they look good together. It's too bad that Lucy won't forgive him. They'd make a good couple."

"I think so too! In fact, I just told Lucy that this morning." Shelby smiled. "I'm glad that you came tonight."

"I am too. Thanks for inviting me." Dave smiled.

"Maybe we could do this another time?" Shelby asked, hoping that he would agree to another date.

He was glad that she wanted another date, because he did too. "How about tomorrow night?"

"Tomorrow sounds great." Shelby smiled.

* * *

Carter looked over at Lucy, trying to figure out if he should press his luck. They were getting along pretty well right now, and he didn't know if he wanted to jeopardize that. But he soon realized that he needed to ask her one question. "Can I ask you a question?" 

"Uh, yeah, I guess so." She replied, wondering what his question was about. She was actually enjoying the conversation they were having. It wasn't about anything important, but it did remind her of the conversations they'd have in the past. "What do you want to know?"

"Is there a specific reason why you won't forgive me? Cause I really want to move past this and try to rebuild our friendship. But you seem bound and determined to stick your feet in the mud and keep that from happening. Other than the fact that you are extremely stubborn, is there a reason why? That was a long time ago Luce. Why can't we just forget about it and move on?"

"Because your friends made my life miserable and you did absolutely nothing to stop it." She finally admitted.

"What? How did they make your life miserable?" He asked, a little confused.

"They made it their life's mission to screw with me! They would trip me in the hallway every chance they got, they'd spread horrible rumors about me, played practical jokes on me, and they did everything they could to try to prove that they were better than me." She exclaimed. "What's worse is that you did nothing to stop them. For all I know, you could have been the one masterminding the whole operation!"

"I didn't! I'd never do that to you! I never even knew that they were doing those things to you. Yeah, I occasionally heard the rumors that went around about you, but I never knew that they were the ones who started them, and I didn't know about the other stuff either. Luce, you have to believe me! If I knew that they were doing that to you, I would have stuck up for you. I would have made them stop."

"You had to have known that your friends were doing that. I have a very hard time believing that you weren't aware of it."

"But I wasn't! Honestly!" Carter exclaimed, trying to keep his voice down so that he didn't distract everyone else from the music.

Lucy grabbed her purse and slid out of the booth. She didn't want to sit there and re-hash the past. She needed some air.

Carter wasn't going to let her get away from him until she realized that he didn't have anything to do with anything that his friends put her through in middle school. He waited until he got into the parking lot to call out to her. "We aren't done talking."

Lucy turned. She knew that he would follow her outside, even though she wasn't sure that she wanted him to. "Well I'm done talking."

"Ok. Then I'll do the talking. I didn't know about anything that my former friends have done to you. I swear. Please believe me?" He pleaded, adding extra emphasis to the phrase 'former friends'.

"If I say that I'll think about it, can we change the topic please?" Lucy asked, not wanting to talk about this anymore.

He sighed. "Yeah, sure."

"Ok. I'm tired, so I'm going to take a cab home." She replied, walking away from him.

"I'm gonna go home too. Can we share a cab?" He asked hesitantly.

She looked back at him. "Yeah, I guess."

_   
Song Lyrics: "Cold Cold Heart" By: Norah Jones_


	5. Trauma Death

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Five 

**A/N: I apologize now for my lack of medical knowledge. I've re-written the upcoming trauma scene many times. I think this is as good as it's going to get. I'm not a doctor, and writing trauma scenes is not my specialty.  **

A Week Later

Lucy walked up to the admit desk. She had just finished with a patient and was looking for another patient. She saw Dave walk up to her and smiled. Shelby had been going out practically every night for the past week with Dave, and she was glad that her friend was having so much fun.

Dave approached Lucy. "So, has Shelby talked about me to you at all?" He tried to sound nonchalant because he was on a fact-finding mission. He was curious to know how Shelby felt about him.

"She may have mentioned a few things." Lucy replied. She knew that he was trying to pump her for information, and she wasn't about to spill Shelby's secrets.

"Oh really? Like what?" Dave asked.

"I'm not at liberty to discuss this with you." Lucy apologized.

"You're not at liberty? Lucy, this isn't a court case! This is my life!" Dave exclaimed. "C'mon! Give me something!"

Lucy started to feel bad for him and sighed. "Ok. I'll only tell you one thing."

"Ok! I'll take it. What is it?"

"She likes you...a lot." Lucy smiled. "And that's all I'm going to say."

He smiled as wide as he could. "Thanks Lucy. That's all I really wanted to know. You're the greatest." He quickly gave Lucy a hug and walked off happily.

Lucy laughed at his enthusiasm. Turning to face the board again, she noticed that Carter was standing next to her, looking over a chart. They hadn't really spoken much since the night they went to Vertigo. To be honest, she was still trying to avoid him. Most of the time it worked because they had been very busy lately.

Carter looked up from the chart and saw Lucy staring at him. "What? Do I have something on my face or something?"

She didn't realize that she was staring at him until he made that comment. "What? Oh, no." She stopped looking at him and looked to her left.

He smiled. "Then why were you looking at me? I thought that would go against your policy of avoiding me."

She started to smile. "You know, now that you mention it, it does go against my policy of avoiding you. Don't worry. It won't happen again." She turned to leave, but was stopped by Dr. Lewis' voice calling out to her.

"Lucy! There's a GSW coming in a few minutes. Want to assist me?" Susan asked, walking up to her med student. She was very impressed with Lucy's intelligence and the way that she has been handling the ER the past couple of weeks.

My first trauma? This could be good and bad at the same time. "Sure!" Lucy spoke up quickly.

"Ok. Get ready." Susan replied. She had confidence that Lucy could handle herself. Normally, she would wait until her med students had been at the ER for a complete month before letting them help with traumas, but Lucy seemed to have a special talent for medicine.

Lucy watched the GSW come through the doors of the ER and suddenly everything seemed to go in slow motion for her. She helped run the gurney into the trauma room with Susan and listened to the paramedics' account of the victim's vitals. The victim was a man about forty, who was shot once at point blank range in the chest. She then watched Susan start to work.

"Lucy, what's the first thing we need to do?" Susan asked.

"Check his heart and lungs to make sure the bullet hasn't gotten lodged in there. Then check for internal bleeding." Lucy replied, starting to get involved.

"That's right." Susan continued to work. They soon found out that the bullet had pierced the lower right ventricle of the heart. "This guy's going to need surgery ASAP. Will someone call and book an OR?"

"BP's dropping." Lucy announced, looking at the monitors. "Shouldn't we start a round of epi?"

"Definitely." Susan nodded.

Lucy gave a round of epi and watched as it had no effect on the guy's blood pressure. "It's not working."

Susan watched the monitor and then went back to working on the wound. "Give another round."

Lucy did what she was told, and watched as it still had no effect. Suddenly, the monitors started beeping, alerting everyone to a dangerous situation.

"We need to get his heart going again!" Susan yelled. "Someone get a crash cart!" Lilly brought it in and Susan picked up the paddles. "Clear!" She shocked him once and got no reaction. "Charge to 250! Clear!" She shocked him again. "Lucy, give another round of epi!" She still got no response. "Charge it to 300! Clear!"

Lucy watched Susan continue to work and she continued to give more rounds of epi.

"How long has he been down?" Susan asked in a defeated tone.

"It's been a half-hour." Lilly replied.

Susan put down the paddles and looked at the clock. "Time of death is 1:50 a.m." She looked over at Lucy and inwardly cursed herself for choosing this as Lucy's first trauma.

Lucy stood there looking at the man that they hadn't been able to save. It was the first time that someone she was supposed to be helping ended up dead. Rationally, she knew that it wasn't her fault. He was shot and the bullet hit his heart. Besides, he had lost a lot of blood. But she still felt really bad. Maybe there was something she could have done differently.

Susan looked over at Lilly. "Does he have anyone in the waiting area?"

"I think his wife came in with him." Lilly replied.

"Ok. I'll go tell her what happened. Lucy, why don't you go wait in the lounge and take a break? I'll be in to talk to you after I'm finished with his wife." Susan suggested, seeing that Lucy was still upset.

Lucy just nodded and left the room.

* * *

When Susan entered the lounge, she found Lucy sitting on the couch with a lost look on her face. She went over and sat next to her. "The first time you see death like this is always the hardest. I remember the first time I saw someone die. I know what you're feeling, but you have to try to remember that you didn't cause his death. He was already close to death when he came in here." 

"I know. It's just hard." Lucy replied. "It's the first time I've seen someone die."

"I know." Susan put her hand on Lucy's shoulder as a sign of comfort. "Maybe you should take a longer break. Have you ever been up on the roof?"

"No." Lucy shook her head.

"I recommend going up there, especially on such a clear night like this. Go up there and look at the stars. You'll feel better. For some reason, the roof has a calming effect on me. I think it might help you too." Susan explained.

"Are you sure? But my shift isn't done."

"Go on, and take your time. Don't worry about it. Just come back when you're ready." Susan smiled.

"Thanks." Lucy replied, getting up and leaving the lounge.

Mark came into the lounge shortly after Lucy left and saw Susan deep in thought. "What's up?"

Susan got up and walked over to where he was standing. She knew that she could count on him to comfort her. "I think I made a little mistake with Lucy."

Mark poured himself a cup of coffee and smiled. "I find that hard to believe. You don't make many mistakes."

"Well, I think this was one of those rare times." She chuckled. "I had her help with a trauma. It was her first trauma and the guy died. He didn't even have a chance; I don't think that there's anything we could have done to make him survive. But you remember what it's like to lose your first trauma, right?"

"Yeah, of course. You don't forget something like that." Mark nodded. "Do you want a cup of coffee?"

"Yes please!" Susan exclaimed with a small smile.

After pouring her coffee and giving it to her, he revisited the topic they had been discussing. "So what's this mistake you supposedly made? There would eventually come a point and time where Lucy wouldn't be able to save a trauma patient."

"I guess I'm just worried that I introduced her to traumas too soon."

"So she isn't taking it very well?" Mark surmised.

Carter came into the lounge to get a cup of coffee and stood next to Mark.

"Yes. Lucy's definitely upset." Susan replied.

"Don't worry about it. Lucy will be ok." Mark assured her. "And I don't think it's your fault. How could you have known that the guy would die?"

Carter didn't mean to overhear what they were saying, but he couldn't help it. His head shot up when they mentioned Lucy. "What's wrong with Lucy? Why is she upset?"

Mark and Susan looked at him strangely because neither of them had noticed that he had entered the room. "A trauma patient she was working on died. It's her first time experiencing the death of a patient." Susan finally explained.

He knew that she had to be taking that pretty hard and he knew that he wanted to help her in any way that he could. "Where is she?"

"Why are you so interested in Lucy?" Mark asked suspiciously. "I didn't know that you two were such good friends."

"We...well, it's complicated." Carter explained. Saying that their relationship was complicated was the easiest thing to do because he had no idea what their relationship was, or even if they had any kind of relationship.

Susan could tell that Carter was being sincere and that he just wanted to help Lucy. Besides, she thought that maybe Lucy could use a friend to talk to. "She should be on the roof."

"Thanks." Carter replied, setting down his coffee and leaving the lounge.

"Should we be worried about this?" Mark asked, referring to Carter and Lucy.

Susan thought about it for a moment and smiled. "No, I don't think so."

* * *

Lucy stood on the roof, making sure that she wasn't too close to the edge. She was upset that they couldn't save that man, but that wasn't the only thing that was weighing on her mind. She was beginning to feel really bad about the way that she was treating Carter. Was Shelby right? Was the reason she didn't want to forgive him was because she was trying to deny that she had real feelings for him? 

Carter found Lucy in a corner on the roof. "It's a nice night, isn't it?"

Lucy looked over and saw that he was standing right next to her. She hadn't heard him approach.

"A lot of stars are out." He commented.

"Why are you here?" she asked, looking out at the city below them.

"I wanted to see the stars and I thought you might need a friend right now." He replied, staring at the sky.

She laughed. "And let me guess! You want to be that friend?"

"Absolutely." He smiled, looking over at her.

She looked over at him. "What makes you think that I'd let you be that friend?"

"Because I think you're getting tired of ignoring me." He replied. "You don't like to fight and you don't like to ignore people. Pretty soon, you're going to let me in. You almost let me in that night at the club, but you pulled away again."

"I don't want to have this conversation again—at least not right now." She turned to leave, but felt his hand lightly grab her arm.

"Wait. Please? I didn't come up here to talk to you about our problems. I came up here to see if you wanted to talk about what happened down there."

She turned to face him. "How'd you know about it?"

"I overheard Dr. Greene and Dr. Lewis talking about it." Carter explained.

"Oh." She sighed. "Well, I'm fine. Really."

"You don't seem fine."

"Well I am." Lucy insisted. "I know that there probably wasn't anything that could have been done differently to save that man."

"So what's bothering you then?"

She didn't know what to tell him. Finally, she decided to tell him the truth. "I just feel like life is too complicated."

"What do you mean by that?" He asked.

She walked over to a nearby bench and sat down, waiting for him to do the same. "Well it's just that I'm starting to notice that the older I get, the more complicated life gets. When we were seven, everything was simple. There was good and then there was evil. You either liked someone or you didn't. There was black and then there was white. There was no gray area. Now it seems like everything is in this gray area and it's frustrating me!"

"Am I correct in assuming that I would fall into the gray area?" Carter asked, listening to her intently.

She nodded her head. "I want to get our friendship back, but it's complicated."

"So we'll just make it uncomplicated!" He exclaimed with a chuckle.

"And how do we do that?" Lucy asked, surprised to find that she was laughing at his comment.

"I'm not really sure right now. But if you give me a moment, I'm sure I can come up with something." He started to think about it, happy that she was starting to break down the wall between them.

"Well hurry up!" She joked. "I don't want to be out here all night!"

He laughed. The fact that she was joking with him was a good sign. "Ok, how about this? We start over with a clean slate. Pretend that we are strangers and just start over."

"You mean, just forget about everything that we've been through?" Lucy asked, not sure if she liked his plan.

He could see that she didn't really like his plan. "You don't like that idea?"

"Well it's a good idea, but it's not practical. If we are going to try and pretend to have a clean slate and start over, then we'd need to forget everything that we have been through together. And while I would like to forget some of it, we have had some good times."

He smiled as he recalled some of the good times. "Like the time that we went sledding at my grandparents' house and then made snowmen?"

Lucy laughed. "Yeah, and what about the time that we broke your grandmother's vase? You tried to super-glue it back together and instead you super-glued your fingers together!"

Just thinking about that made his fingers hurt. "But that really hurt though."

"I'm sure it did, but it was very funny!" She laughed.

"You like laughing at my pain, don't you?" He asked, jokingly.

"Of course! I always have and always will." She replied sarcastically.

"So if we aren't going to start fresh, what are we going to do?" Carter asked once they stopped laughing.

She thought about it for a moment. "I don't know."

"Why don't we just try to be friends again and stop worrying about the bad parts of the past? Cause we get along great when we focus on the positives. We really only fight when we dwell on the negatives—which by the way most of those were my fault."

"I've been too stubborn lately. Haven't I?" Lucy confessed.

"Yeah, you have. But I wouldn't expect anything less from you." He smiled. "Friends again?"

She looked over at him and smiled. "Yeah, that is, if you still want to be my friend."

He put his arm around her shoulder, pulling her closer to him. "I'll always want you to be my friend."

She smiled, enjoying the fact that they were friends again.

**A/N: Thank you for the awesome reviews! Leilani- I haven't really placed this story in any specific season. Later on, I may be adding more cast members. Please keep the reveiws coming!**


	6. Golden Invitations

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Six

The Next Day

Lucy entered the apartment and found that it was strangely quiet. She walked over to Shelby's room and found that Shelby wasn't there. She's probably spent the night with Dave. Yawning, she walked back into the living room to check and see if there were any messages on the machine. Pushing the blinking button, she waited for the messages to start.

"Hi Lucy, it's just mom. Just wanted to check and see how you are doing. Give me a call back. Love you!" Beep. "Hey Lucy. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm spending the night with Dave. So if you get home and I'm not there, don't freak out. See ya!" Beep. Beep.

The messages ended and Lucy went ahead and deleted them. She was going to go back to her bed and get some much needed sleep, when Shelby came through the door. "Have a good time?" Lucy asked, raising her eyebrow.

"Yeah." Shelby smiled. "How long have you been home?"

"Just long enough to check the messages. But I am exhausted. Last night was a roller coaster. I had my first trauma patient and he ended up dying. Then I had this conversation on the roof with Carter. To make that long story short, we're friends again. So I'm going to go get some sleep before I meet him for lunch..." She got to the hallway before Shelby started yelling.

"You guys are friends again?" Shelby squealed.

Lucy turned to face her. "Yeah." She said nonchalantly, like it was no big deal. "Can I go sleep now?"

"You're not even going to tell me what happened? What made you finally give in and forgive him?"

"I don't know." Lucy shrugged.

"Was it anything I said?" Shelby asked.

"I don't know." Lucy replied. "I guess I just didn't want to fight anymore. Like you said, the past should remain in the past. It happened a long time ago, and it would be crazy for me to hold a grudge against him for the rest of my life."

Shelby ran over to her and gave her a big hug. "This is so great! We're all friends again and I'm with Dave! Now all we need to do is get you and Carter together. Then everything will be perfect."

Lucy gave her a funny look. "I don't know why you are so hell-bent on getting me to date Carter."

"It's because you have feelings for him," Shelby smiled, "and I think he might have feelings for you too."

"Yeah right! Whatever!" Lucy rolled her eyes, going back to her bedroom to sleep.

* * *

Later that day, after getting a few nice hours of sleep, Lucy entered Doc Magoo's and found Carter already sitting in a nearby booth waiting for her. He seemed to be rifling through some papers. "Hey." She greeted, slipping into the booth so that she was sitting across from him. "I haven't kept you waiting very long, have I?" 

"No. I just got here a few minutes ago." Carter replied, a little distracted because of what he was reading.

The waitress soon came by and took their orders. Curious, Lucy looked at what he was doing. "Are you sorting through your mail?"

"Yeah. I've been working so much that I haven't had time to read any of it in about a week." Carter nodded. "You don't mind, do you?"

"No, go ahead. I don't like to interrupt people while they read their mail. I find it to be very inconsiderate." She smiled.

He smiled and then went back to reading his mail. When he came across a fancy envelope, he knew immediately what it was and groaned. It was that time of the year again and he was not looking forward to it.

Lucy heard him groan and gave him a strange look. "Why'd you just groan like that? You get a bill or something?"

He held up the fancy envelope. "See this envelope? It is an invitation to the annual fundraiser ball for the Robert Carter Leukemia Foundation."

That name clicked inside Lucy's mind. "Your family started a foundation in your brother's name? When did you do that?"

"About eight years ago. We've managed to raise a lot of money for Leukemia research. I love that we're doing something to help wipe out Leukemia, but I hate going to this fundraiser." He groaned again.

"Can I see the invitation?" Lucy asked, curious about what was so bad about a fundraiser ball.

"Sure." Carter replied, handing her the envelope. He didn't bother to open it because he knew what it would say.

Lucy opened it up. It was a formal ball being held next Saturday at 8 at the Peninsula Hotel. She'd heard nothing but good things about that hotel, but she had never been inside it. "So what's so bad about this?"

"These things are always so incredibly boring. All you do is walk around the room making contacts and trying to get people to give you money. There's a silent auction, good food and dancing, but that's the only good part." He explained. "Besides, I always have to make a speech about Bobby and why we started the foundation, and I hate that part. Even though it's for a good cause, I hate getting up in front of strangers and talking about him just so that we can raise more money."

"That's understandable." Lucy nodded. She knew that Carter hated showing that part of his personality to a large group of people. He liked to keep his emotions private—especially his emotions concerning Bobby.

Their waitress came back to the table and served their food to them. He waited until she had left before continuing on with what he was saying. "Then there's the fact that I don't have a girlfriend right now."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Lucy chuckled.

"Every year, like clockwork, I always end up breaking up with a girl right before the fundraiser." He explained. "So every year I end up going by myself, and Gamma always hates that. She thinks that I should already be married, or at least have a steady girlfriend. Barbara got married when she was 24. I'm 26, so I'm a freak or something because I'm not married also."

"Gosh, I haven't seen her in quite a long time. How is your Gamma?" Lucy asked with a chuckle. "Cause it seems like she hasn't changed one bit."

"She hasn't." He laughed. "But she's doing fine..." he trailed off, beginning to have a light-bulb moment. "Wait, I just had a brilliant idea."

"What?" Lucy dipped her French fry into a huge blob of ketchup.

"Why don't you come with me to this thing? I'm sure that Gamma would love to see you again, and you could save me from being completely bored." He smiled, hoping that she would say yes.

Me? Go to a formal ball? She shook her head. "I don't know if that's such a brilliant idea."

The smile on his face fell. "Why not? I think it's perfect."

Lucy looked down at the invitation. "Well for one thing, the invitation says that clothing is formal wear. I don't have anything in my wardrobe that is formal enough for something like this. Second, your Gamma has most likely forgotten who I am by now. Third..."

"Ok, I think I get your point." Carter sadly interrupted her. "I guess I'll just go alone then and have to spend the whole night bored to death and listening to Gamma tell me how badly I need to get a girlfriend."

She knew what he was doing. He was trying to guilt her into coming with him. The sad part was, that even though she knew that was what he was doing, it was still working. She closed her eyes. "Alright, I'll go with you."

He smiled widely. "Thank you Luce! You won't regret this. Ok, maybe you will when we're bored out of our minds. But at least we'll be bored out of our minds together."

"Well it is for a good cause." She smiled.

"Yes, it is." He noticed that they had both stopped eating. Looking at his watch, he realized that they only had a few minutes before their shifts started. "We should get going. We're on in about five minutes."

"Already?" Lucy exclaimed, confirming his statement by looking at her watch. "Ok. Let's go pay our bills." She went into her purse to dig out her wallet but was stopped by him.

"Don't worry about it. I'll get the check." He told her.

"That's nice of you, but I can pay for my own." She replied.

"Oh come on! Let me pay for this. You could consider it my way of saying thank you for coming with me on Saturday." He knew that if he rationalized it that way, she would have to agree with him.

"Ok. Thanks." She grunted.

He paid the bill, left a tip, and then they started walking across the street to the hospital.

"Lately I've been feeling like I live at the hospital. Do you ever get that feeling?" Lucy asked as they got closer to the ER entrance.

"I get that feeling all the time." He chuckled.

As soon as they entered the ER, Carol walked up to them. "Lucy, Dr. Lewis has been looking for you."

"Did I do something wrong?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"I don't know. She didn't say. She's in exam four right now." Carol replied, hurrying off.

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry about it Luce. I'm sure you're not in trouble. Dr. Lewis thinks you're great."

Lucy looked over at him and smiled. "Thanks. I needed that."

"Well that's what friends are for."

Lucy thought about his last statement as she followed him into the lounge to get their stuff. She was beyond glad that they were friends again. She had missed the special bond that they seemed to have. He knew how to make her feel better about anything just by smiling at her or placing his hand on her shoulder. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she remembered that she had to go find her teacher. "I better go see what Dr. Lewis wants. See ya!" Lucy waved, leaving Carter in the lounge.

He watched her leave and smiled. It was the first ear-to-ear smile he had experienced in a really long time. It was nice to have her back in his life again. He had almost forgotten what it was like to have her around. When they were friends as kids, just the presence of her was enough to put him in a good mood. She was the only one who was able to make him feel better after Bobby died. He continued to smile as he left the lounge to see some patients.

* * *

Lucy entered exam four and saw Susan standing next to a patient's bed writing in their chart. "Excuse me, Dr. Lewis? You wanted to see me?" 

Susan looked up and smiled. "Ah, yes. Just let me finish with this patient." She then turned her attention back to the patient. "I've gonna have a nurse come in and take more blood, and then you'll be taken down to radiology. Any questions?"

"No, but thanks." The man nodded.

The smile told Lucy that she wasn't in trouble with her teacher, and that made her relax. She followed as Susan left the room.

"How are you doing?" Susan asked.

Lucy knew that she was referring to the fact that she had seen her first patient die the day before. "I'm fine. It shook me up a little, but now that I've been exposed to death, I think it will get easier." She chuckled. "It will get easier, right?"

Susan didn't know what to tell her. "Well, some deaths are easier to deal with than others. Personally, I find it very hard to watch children die. But after awhile, you start to learn ways to get past it without letting it consume your every thought. It took me a while to learn how to do that." She paused. "I think I may have pushed you into doing a trauma too soon. That's why I'll understand if you want to stay away from them for awhile..."

Lucy didn't mean to rudely interrupt, but she couldn't help herself. "No! I'm fine...really. I want to do traumas."

"Are you sure?" Susan checked.

"I'm sure." Lucy smiled.

She hesitated for a moment. "Ok then." She smiled at her student. "Why don't you take care of Mr. Johansson in exam three?"

"Sure thing!" Lucy replied, hurrying off to take care of her patient.

* * *

It was about three in the morning when Lucy slipped into her apartment and quietly set down her keys on the table next to the door. She was beyond tired, and glad that she had today off. After getting some sleep, she would see if Shelby wanted to help her go shopping for a new dress for the fundraiser on Saturday. Walking down the hallway to her room she shook her head, still not believing that Carter had quilted her into going with him. She had reached her door when Shelby's door opened and Dave came out wearing nothing but his boxers. 

"Hey Lucy." Dave said, smiling nervously. He silently praised himself for putting on his boxers before leaving Shelby's room. It was bad enough to run into Lucy half-naked, he couldn't and didn't want to imagine how embarrassing it would have been to run into her while being naked.

"Hello Dave." Lucy smiled back, trying to keep her eyes focused on his face.

This is awkward. "So is your shift over?" As soon as he asked that question, he internally berated himself. Of course her shift is over. If it wasn't, she would still be at the hospital.

"Yes it is." Lucy replied, trying not to laugh at the situation. Boy this was awkward.

"I was going to make some coffee before I left for my shift. Would you like some?" Dave asked.

"No thanks. I'm looking forward to getting some sleep." Lucy informed him, while opening her door. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, later." Dave sighed when she closed her door. That was probably the most embarrassing thing that had happened to him in years.

After Lucy closed the door to her room, she went over to her bed and set her alarm clock. Running into Dave while he was only in his boxers was embarrassing. She wasn't used to bumping into guys that Shelby brought home. But that encounter had her mind working overtime trying to figure out if Carter wore boxers or briefs. After debating with herself for a few minutes, she was snapped back to reality. Why am I thinking about the kind of underwear Carter wears? I must really need sleep! She sat her head on the pillow, but found that she couldn't sleep because she was still trying to figure out whether he wore boxers or briefs. 

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! They are very appreciated!**


	7. It's Just Dinner, Right?

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Seven

Many hours later, Lucy was brought out of her dreams when the phone started ringing in her ears. She groaned and reluctantly picked it up. This better be good. It's my day off. "Hello?" she grumbled, angry at whoever was keeping her from her sleep. She was having a very good dream where she actually got to find out whether Carter wore boxers or briefs.

"Lucy? Did I wake you up?" Carter asked, noting her grumpy mood. He knew that she didn't like to be woken up and hoped she wasn't mad at him.

When she realized it was Carter, most of the anger she had felt washed away. "Yeah, but it's ok. What's up?"

He felt bad about waking her up. "You have the day off, right?"

"Yeah. You're not gonna tell me that I have to come in today, are you?" Lucy asked, praying that he wasn't going to do that.

He laughed. "No! I'm definitely not going to tell you that."

"Good, because I have things I need to do." Lucy laughed.

"Oh, so you're busy today?" Carter asked. He had wanted to spend some time with her today since they both had the day off.

"Well, I have some errands to do now that I'm going with you on Saturday." She explained.

He smiled. "Would you have time to go out with dinner with me? We can catch up on the past."

He wanted to have dinner with her? Her heart started to race. Calm down! He's just your friend and nothing more. "Um, sure. I can make time for that."

"Great!"

"Do you want me to meet you at the restaurant?" Lucy asked.

"Naw, I'll just come pick you up. That way you won't have to take a cab."

"Ok. Thanks."

"No problem. So why don't I pick you up at eight? Will that be enough time to run your errands?" Carter checked.

"Definitely. See you later." She hung up the phone and laid back down on her bed. Dinner with Carter. She knew that it was just as friends, but that didn't stop her heart from racing a little. A confused look appeared on her face as she realized that Shelby was right. She did have romantic feelings for Carter. Damn, when did that happen? This was only going to cause trouble. Sighing, she quickly got up and decided to take a quick shower before grabbing some lunch.

* * *

Shelby was working on a design logo at her desk in the living room when Lucy came out of her room. "Well, sleeping beauty finally emerges!" Shelby smiled. "Nice of you to join the land of the living." 

"So what? I slept in til noon. That's no big deal considering that I went to bed at three." Lucy smiled. "Speaking of sleep, did you get any last night? Cause I ran into Dave when I came home."

Shelby laughed. "Yeah, he told me about that encounter. Sorry that I didn't warn you he was staying here. It was sort of spur of the moment."

"That's ok." Lucy shrugged, heading into the kitchen to get some lemonade. "Are you terribly busy today?"

"Not really. Why?" Shelby was one of the lucky people who got to do most of their work at home. She only went into the office for meetings.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me." Lucy replied, coming out of the kitchen with a full glass of lemonade.

"Are we shopping for anything in particular?" Shelby asked.

"Yeah. I need a formal dress for a fundraiser Carter's taking me to on Saturday." Lucy replied casually.

"Ooh, a fundraiser?" Shelby got out of her chair and walked over to where Lucy was standing. "So is this like a date?"

"No. We're going as friends. He just wants me to come along so that he doesn't have to alone again. His grandmother always makes him feel bad for not having a girlfriend." Lucy explained.

"Is that what he told you?" Shelby smiled.

"Yes. Now are you coming with me or do I have to go alone? Cause I have to be back here by six so that I can get ready."

"Get ready for what?" Shelby raised her eyebrow.

"Carter's coming by and we're going to dinner." Lucy explained, knowing what Shelby was thinking. "It's not a date, and it doesn't mean that we're in love with each other or anything. It's just two friends going out to dinner with each other."

"When is he coming by to pick you up?" She asked curiously.

"Eight."

"A-ha!" Shelby squealed, pointing a finger at her. "If it's just a friendly dinner, then why do you need two hours to get ready for it?"

Lucy was getting frustrated. "I don't know!" She exclaimed. "Why are you interrogating me?"

Shelby smiled and laughed. "Cause it's fun!"

Lucy grabbed her purse. "Are you coming or am I shopping alone?"

"Oh I am definitely coming with you. I'm gonna make sure you get the perfect dress that will make Carter drop to his knees!" Shelby exclaimed, running after Lucy.

* * *

At a quarter till eight, Lucy looked in the mirror at her outfit. Since it was September, she had decided to wear tan pants and a maroon blouse with three-quarter length sleeves. Taking another look at herself, she decided that it was a good outfit. It didn't make her look like she was trying to dress up, yet it wasn't completely casual. She heard someone knock on the door and knew that Shelby would answer it. She checked her hair one last time before going out into the living room. Her face brightened up when she saw Carter there. He appeared to be telling Shelby about a case that he had treated a few days ago. 

"So the guy just got up and walked off in the middle of the exam?" Shelby asked with a laugh.

"Yeah." Carter laughed. "I don't know why. He just got up and said 'I've changed my mind. I'm not sick. I'm getting out of here and you can't stop me'."

"That's weird." Shelby shook her head.

"I know..." his voice trailed off as he turned around and saw Lucy coming towards where they were standing. "Hey."

"Hey." Lucy smiled back.

Shelby smiled too, but for a different reason. She saw the looks on both Carter and Lucy's faces. The looks were definitely looks of lust. But of course, Carter and Lucy were oblivious to the looks.

"Are you ready?" Carter asked.

"Yeah. Let's go." Lucy nodded, picking up her purse.

Carter turned to Shelby. "Are you sure you don't want to come with us?"

"I'm sure. Dave will be coming by soon when his shift ends." Shelby smiled.

"Ok." He turned back to Lucy. "Looks like it's just us then." He opened the apartment door for her and they started to head outside.

"So where are we going to eat?" Lucy wondered.

"A restaurant called Fly Me to the Moon." They had gotten outside and reached his jeep. He opened the passenger door for her. "It's supposed to be great." Carter explained when he got in the driver's seat. "You don't mind Italian, do you? Because I know that you used to love it."

"I still do!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Good." Carter smiled as he started up his jeep and headed to the restaurant.

* * *

Lucy looked around at the décor of the restaurant. They were sitting in a small booth on the side. There was a small stage and a dance floor in the middle of the restaurant. It was a very romantic place, and she started to wish that they were actually on a date. But she quickly scolded herself for that thought and looked over at Carter, who was looking at her. "This place is great." She smiled. 

"I'm glad you like it." Carter smiled back.

Lucy took a sip of her wine. "So what did you do today since you had the day off?"

"I really didn't do anything, and it felt nice." Carter replied. "Did you get all of your errands done?"

"Yes." Lucy nodded, starting to laugh. "Shelby came with me to buy my dress for Saturday. I found the greatest dress at the first store we went to, but she dragged me to about a dozen other stores before she decided that the dress I had picked out at the first store was perfect!"

He laughed. "Sounds exhausting."

"It was." Lucy grinned.

The waiter approached their table with their food. "Chicken Alfredo with a penne sauce for the lady." He placed the plate in front of Lucy. "And Chicken Parmesan for the gentleman." He placed the other plate in front of Carter. "Can I get you two anything else?"

"No thanks." Carter smiled.

"Enjoy your meal then." The waiter smiled back, leaving them alone.

He took a drink of his wine before beginning to eat his food. He was enjoying Lucy's company a lot. When he got up this morning he hadn't intended on asking her out to dinner, but he got the sudden urge to see her...to talk to her...so he called her. Now that they were at dinner together, he was starting to get confused. They were friends—just friends. Right? So why was he starting to have feelings for her that were more than friendly? He thought back to when he saw her at the apartment. When she came into the room, it was almost like a scene from a movie. It was as if she was walking over in slow motion. She looked beautiful tonight. He hadn't really noticed it at work, but she was gorgeous. He had always considered her pretty when they were growing up together, but now he noticed that she had developed and matured into this spectacular woman.

He's staring at me again. He'd been doing that all night, and it was starting to get to me. Do I have something in my teeth? Is my make-up smeared? Why is he staring at me like that? She tried to just eat her dinner without worrying about the way he was looking at her, but it was hard to do. Her thoughts then turned to what this night meant. They were here together at a very romantic restaurant, but they were just friends. Right? So why was she wishing that this was a real date?

"How is your meal?" Carter asked, finally emerging from his thoughts.

Lucy finished the bite she had in her mouth before replying. "Wonderful, and yours?"

"Great. You want a bite?" he offered. He was trying to be nice by offering her a bite of his food, but he also had ulterior motives. He wanted to try her food.

She knew what he was doing and grinned. "If you want to try my food, why don't you just ask?"

Knowing he was caught, he shrugged. "Can I have a bite of you food please?"

"Only if I can have a bite of yours." Lucy replied.

"Deal." He exclaimed. They scooted their plates closer to each other and each took a bite from the others' plate. "That is good." Carter smiled.

"Yeah, and so is yours." Lucy agreed with a chuckle.

They ate in silence for a while, each contemplating the feelings that were starting to emerge. After a while, they were both finished with their meals. Carter looked over at the stage and noticed that the piano player was getting ready to start another set. Within seconds, the restaurant was filled with the sound of a piano and string bass. He got an idea.

"I don't think I can eat another bite." Lucy exclaimed, pushing her plate away.

"Well then there's only one thing left to do." Carter grinned.

"What?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Dance with me?" He held out his hand for her.

She looked at him and then his hand. She wasn't sure that she could handle dancing with him and being in that close proximity to him. But it was too tempting to resist. She grabbed a hold of his hand and he led her to the dance floor. She felt him wrap his arms around her waist, so she wrapped her arms around his neck. But she made sure that there was some space between them, after all, she didn't want to be too tempted.

They danced in silence for one song. Then another slow song came on and they continued to dance. "So I've told you about what's been going on in my family. What's new with yours? How's your mom?" Carter asked, unable to stand the silence any more.

"She's fine. She wasn't too happy with my decision to come to school in Chicago though. She wanted me to go and finish up med school at Indiana University and work at Methodist Hospital so that I'd only be twenty minutes away from her. But I wanted to get out of Indiana."

"Why?" He asked interested in everything that she was saying.

"Indianapolis has its' advantages I guess, but it's not Chicago. I missed this place, and I didn't realize just how much I missed it until I came back." Lucy explained. She was talking about Chicago, but she also meant him. She hadn't realized how much she had missed their friendship until recently. It was like there was a big hole in her heart that she couldn't fill, but now it was full again.

"Well I'm very glad that you came back. You've already made my life better." Oh wow, did I just say that out-loud? I didn't mean to. Maybe she won't notice it.

She noticed his statement, and it intrigued her. "I've made your life better? How so?"

He knew that he couldn't get out of this one, so he decided to tell the truth. "You've made it more enjoyable." He replied. "I missed you Luce. I missed you a lot."

"I missed you too." Lucy smiled.

As they were dancing there, he found himself wanting to lean down and kiss her. This realization shocked him. Since when did he think of her as anything more than a friend? Even though he really wanted to, he resisted the urge to give her kiss. Instead, he tried to think about what he was going to do now that he realized he had feelings for her. He really hoped this wasn't going to make their friendship too awkward.

She looked up at him. He seemed to be deep in thought about something, but at least he wasn't staring at her again. Every time he stared at her, she would get this knot in her stomach. It wasn't a bad feeling, but she was worried about what it meant. She only hoped that her feelings for him wouldn't make their friendship too awkward.

The song ended, but he didn't want to let her go. However, the next song wasn't a song that they could slow dance to, so he reluctantly led her back to the table. "Do you want any dessert?" He offered.

"Oh no. No dessert for me. I'm fine." Lucy replied.

"Then why don't I pay the bill and we get out of here?" he suggested. Internally, he didn't want the night to end. But he knew that it had to or else he would end up kissing her—and he wasn't sure that was a good idea right now.

"Ok." She nodded. She hadn't expected him to pay for her dinner, but she decided not to fight him on this one. She was too concerned about the feelings that she was having. Leaving the restaurant now was a good idea because she knew that if they stayed too much longer she would end up kissing him. That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but she wasn't sure she was ready to cross that line.

They walked out of the restaurant after paying the bill and headed to his jeep. "Thanks for coming to dinner with me."

"Well it was fun." Lucy smiled.

"Maybe we should do it again sometime." He suggested before opening the jeep door for her.

"Yes, definitely." She nodded, getting into the jeep.

He walked around the jeep and got inside. As he started up the engine and began to drive, he looked over at her. She had her eyes closed and it was obvious that she had fallen asleep. He quickly turned his attention back to driving. When he pulled up to her apartment building he looked over and saw that she was still sound asleep. He hated having to wake her up though. She looked so relaxed and peaceful. But he knew that he had to wake her up, so he gently shook her shoulder.

She immediately woke up, looking around at her surroundings. The last thing she remembered was being in the restaurant parking lot. Now she was in front of her apartment building. "Did I doze off?"

"Yeah," he nodded, "you did."

"Sorry."

"Don't be. Do you want me to walk you up?" He offered.

"That's ok." She smiled. "Dave's probably up there with Shelby. Who knows what kind of scene I'll be walking in to!"

He chuckled. "Then I guess I'll see you at work."

"Yeah. Thanks for dinner. It was nice." She contemplated kissing him on the cheek, but pulled away. "Goodnight Carter."

"Goodnight Luce." He winked, leaving once she got into her building.

Did he just wink at me? She was deep in thought about that as she opened up the apartment door and saw Shelby and Dave watching a movie together on the couch. "Hey."

"Hey." Shelby and Dave greeted.

"Goodnight." Lucy whispered, hoping to leave without Shelby asking her a bunch of questions.

"Lucy wait!" Shelby called out. "How was your date?"

Lucy turned around to face them. "It wasn't a date. It was just a friendly dinner."

"Where did you go?" Dave asked.

"Fly Me to the Moon." Lucy replied.

Dave and Shelby exchanged glances. They both knew that was a very romantic restaurant. "Did he pick you up?" he asked.

"Yes." Lucy wasn't sure why Dave was asking all these questions.

"Interesting." Dave sighed. "Did he pay for dinner?"

"Yes." Lucy exclaimed.

"Did you guys kiss?" Dave asked. He didn't really care one way or the other if they had kissed.

"No." She thought it was odd for him to ask her something like that.

"Ok." Dave nodded. "Did he bring you flowers?"

"No." She was looking at him strangely now. "Dave, why are you so interested in this?"

"Because I'm trying to help you decide whether it was a date. Up till now, it's a toss-up. But there is a tie-breaker." Dave explained.

"Well don't keep us in suspense!" Shelby exclaimed, lightly punching Dave's arm.

"Did he open doors for you?" Dave asked.

"What?" Lucy asked. "What are you talking about?"

"Did he open doors for you and let you go in first?" Dave asked again.

She didn't know what to say. If she told the truth, she knew that Dave and Shelby would try to convince her that it was really a date. She wanted to believe that it was, but what if it wasn't? What if Carter thought it was just a nice friendly dinner? She didn't want to invest too much hope in this whole date thing and then be disappointed. However, she knew that she couldn't lie to Shelby or she'd be able to tell that it was a lie. "Yes, he did." She finally whispered.

"There you have it!" Dave exclaimed. "It's most likely a date."

"No it wasn't!" Lucy protested.

"Whatever." Shelby shook her head. "Keep denying it, but we know the truth."

Then, as if on cue, Dave and Shelby started to sing together. "Carter and Lucy, sittin' in a tree...k-i-s-s-i-n-g. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Lucy with a baby carriage!"

"That's really mature you guys!" Lucy glared at them angrily. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight Mrs. Carter!" Shelby yelled after her.

Lucy thought about turning around and telling them to stop it with the teasing, but realized that it would only make it worse. Besides, she wasn't too mad at them. She knew that they just wanted her to be happy and have someone special in her life. As she laid her head on her pillow, she somehow knew that Carter would infiltrate her dreams again—and this time she didn't mind. 

**A/N: Thank you very much for the kind reviews. Just wanted to let everyone reading know that this weekend is very busy for me, so I probably won't be updating until Monday at the earliest. **


	8. Weird Dreams

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Eight

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Thanks for the reviews!I've includeda littlebit of medical dialogue in this chapter, but I'm not a doctor. Soif I'vemade a medical mistake, I'm sorry. Enjoy!**

Lucy sat on the corner of her bed. It was 3:04. Since she didn't have to be at work until seven, she should have still been sleeping. But instead, she was sitting on the edge of her bed rattled by her latest dream about Carter. Sighing, she knew that she wouldn't be able to get back to sleep. So she got up and went to take a cold shower, trying to get her latest dream out of her head.

_Carter saw Lucy walk past the supply room and called out to her. "Lucy! Can you come here for a minute?" _

_Lucy turned and smiled when she saw him. Immediately, she made her way into the small supply room. "Sure Carter. What do you want?" _

_He looked at her for a moment. Her usual ponytail was a little disheveled from the hard days work they had gone through, but even though she had to have been tired, she still kept that energetic smile on her face. He leaned in closer to her, cupping her face in his hands. "I want you." He whispered before laying a passionate kiss on her lips. When he finally pulled away from her, he noticed that she was smiling seductively at him. _

_She smiled at him, trying to catch her breath from the long kiss that he initiated. "I want you too." She whispered, putting her hand on the back of his neck and bringing him back down for another kiss. This time, she pulled away from him and turned to close the door to the supply room. _

_When she turned back around to face him, he smiled and kissed her. While they were kissing, he started taking off her lab coat. _

_Once Carter had taken off her lab coat, she returned the favor and took his off for him. Then she backed him against the wall, deepening their kisses. _

Carter's eyes jerked open and he sat up in his bed. "It was just a dream." He told the empty room, not sure who he was trying to convince. "It doesn't mean anything, right?" He looked over at the clock on his nightstand. 3:04 a.m. He didn't have to be at work until seven, but he knew that he might as well get up now because he wouldn't be able to get back to sleep anyway.

* * *

Lucy emerged from her bedroom dressed for work. When she entered the kitchen, she saw that Shelby was sitting at the table drinking coffee. "Why are you up at this hour?" She asked, pouring herself a cup of coffee and reaching for the cereal. 

Shelby looked over at Lucy. "Dave had to go to work early, and I couldn't get back to sleep. Plus I had a weird dream about spiders attacking my head."

Lucy sat down across from her. She poured the cereal into a bowl. Shelby had always been very afraid of spiders, so Lucy knew that she had to have been a little upset from her dream. "What kind of spiders were they?"

"They were big black spiders. It was a weird dream." Shelby replied, shaking her head as she tried to dispel the image of the spiders from her mind.

"Well I had a weird dream last night too."

"What about?" Shelby asked, wanting to get off the topic of spiders.

Lucy berated herself for bringing the subject up. Now she had to tell Shelby that she was dreaming about Carter. "Promise not to laugh or make more of it than it really is?"

"Oh, well if you're making me promise that, then it must be juicy. Do tell!" Shelby smiled.

Lucy's eyes narrowed. "Promise me?"

"Alright." She rolled her eyes. "I promise. Now will you tell me?"

"Ok. I was walking past the supply room at work, and Carter was in there. He asked me to come in, and I did. Then he kissed me, and I kissed him." Lucy explained.

"That's it?" Shelby asked, a little disappointed.

She paused for a moment. "Well, yeah. Why? What were you expecting?"

"I don't know. I just thought that maybe it would have been a little more scandalous than just a kiss." Shelby replied.

"Well I'm sorry to disappoint." Lucy laughed.

"Want to know my opinion on your dream?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"I have a feeling that I'll be hearing your opinion even if I say no. So sure! What do you think my dream means?"

"I think you dream is acting out the unresolved issues from last night's 'date'." Shelby explained.

"It wasn't a date!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Ok, fine. Then it was acting out the unresolved issues from last night's dinner." She took a drink of her coffee, and then continued. "It makes perfect sense. Last night, you wanted to kiss him. You may or may not have been aware of it. That's why dreams are so interesting. They show you what's really on your mind."

Deep inside, Lucy knew that Shelby was right. She had wanted to kiss him last night. But the more she thought about it, the more she thought it would be a bad idea. It could totally ruin their friendship—the exact same friendship that they just recently got back. They had already wasted twelve years of their lives not being friends. What if she kissed him and he wasn't interested? She'd be humiliated again. Or what if she kissed him and he was interested? What if they started dating and then broke up? She wasn't sure that the kind of friendship they have right now could survive a breakup.

"So am I right? Do you want to kiss him?" Shelby asked, already knowing that the answer was yes. She was just trying to get Lucy to admit to it.

Lucy looked over at Shelby and decided to lie. "No, I don't." She picked up her cereal and coffee cup before leaving the kitchen.

"I know you're lying!" Shelby yelled after her. She sighed, wondering if Lucy and Carter would ever admit to their feelings.

* * *

Later that day, Carter walked into an exam room holding a patients' chart. "Hello Miss Sanders. How are you feeling?" 

"Horrible." The woman replied breathlessly.

He nodded and took a look at the chart. "It says that you are experiencing abdominal pain."

"Uh-huh. I can't eat and the pain keeps getting worse." She grabbed her abdomen and closed her eyes, wishing away the pain.

"How long had this pain been going on?"

"About ten hours." She replied. "I thought it would eventually pass, but it hasn't. That's why I came in."

He walked over to her bed. "Ok. I'm going to lightly press on your abdomen and I want you to tell me if it hurts. If it does hurt, I want you to tell me how much on a scale from 1 to 10. Ok?"

"Ok." She nodded. "That's definitely a nine."

He started to lightly press on her and she screamed out. "Ok, so it hurts right here?"

"Yes!"

"Ok. Is there any way that you could be pregnant?"

She looked at him strangely. "No."

He thought about it for a moment. "Have you ever had your appendix out?" Carter asked.

"Nope." She replied.

"Ok. I will be back in one minute." He took her chart and left to go find Dr. Greene. "Hey Dr. Greene? Do you have a moment to come check on my patient?"

Mark finished writing something down in a chart and then looked up. "Sure. Where is she and what's wrong with her?"

"She's in exam three. She is experiencing severe abdominal pain. I asked if she could be pregnant, but she denies it. So I was thinking appendicitis." Carter explained as they entered the room.

Mark nodded and then turned his attention to Miss Sanders. "Miss Sanders, I'm Dr. Greene. I'm going to press on your abdomen for a moment, ok?"

"But that doctor already did that!" She exclaimed, pointing to Carter.

"He is my med student. I need to double check his diagnosis." Mark explained.

"You mean I wasn't even being seen by a real doctor?" She asked.

"He is perfectly qualified to treat you." Mark explained, starting to press on her abdomen.

"Ouch! Like I told him, that hurts!" Miss Sanders yelled.

"So Carter, what do you want to do?" Mark asked, looking at his student.

"Full chem. panel and an ultrasound." Carter replied.

"I agree." Mark nodded. Then he turned back to Miss Sanders. "We're going to send in a nurse to take some blood for a few tests. Then we're going to do an ultrasound to see what's causing the pain. Ok?"

"Anything to stop the pain." She replied.

"Ok." Mark nodded, ushering Carter out of the room. "I'm pretty sure that it's her appendix also. But we'll need to get an ultrasound to confirm it. If the ultrasound does confirm it like I think it will, find me and I'll sign the order for an appendectomy."

"Sure." Carter replied. He walked over to the admit desk. "Chuni, can you please take some blood from Miss Sanders in exam three for me and get an ultrasound set up?"

"Yeah, sure." Chuni nodded, taking the chart from him.

He looked to his left and saw Lucy standing next to him. She was busy writing notes in a patients' chart. He was feeling a little nervous around her because of the dream he had. "Hello."

Lucy looked up and smiled. She was a little nervous around him because of the dream she had. "Hi."

"How's your day going?" He asked.

"Busy." She replied. "I haven't had a break in hours. I haven't even gotten lunch yet."

"Neither have I." He sighed, realizing that it was almost two in the afternoon. "I am getting hungry. Wanna join me for lunch? I need to take care of a patient first, but after that?"

"Sure. I guess I can wait a little longer for lunch." She nodded.

"Great. Then I'll come find you when I'm done." He smiled at her and then left to go do the ultrasound in exam three.

* * *

As he looked at the ultrasound he was doing on Miss Sanders, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Her appendix was nearly triple the size it should be. She needed surgery immediately. He quickly turned off the ultrasound and looked up at Chuni, who was in the room. "Can you go get Dr. Greene for me?" 

Chuni nodded and left the room.

"So what's wrong with me?"

"It looks like you have a bad case of appendicitis. You're going to need immediate surgery to remove your appendix." Carter replied.

"Surgery?" She exclaimed.

Mark came into the room. "Were the results what we thought they would be?"

"Yes. It is definitely appendicitis." Carter nodded.

"Ok." Mark signed the chart and then handed it back to Carter. "Call up and book an OR, and good job Carter." He then left the room.

"Thanks." Carter replied, walking over to the phone to call for an OR.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, he was sitting at Doc Magoo's with Lucy. He was telling her about his appendicitis case. "So she's up in surgery right now." 

"Good job." She smiled. "Given the fact that her appendix was so swollen, you've probably saved her life."

He shook his head, not wanting to brag about that kind of thing. He was just trying to do his job. "It feels good to help people, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. It does." She laughed. "Helping just one person a day makes it worthwhile to go med school for years and spend way too much money on college."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." She nodded.

"Why did you become a doctor? I mean you know why I became a doctor."

"Yeah. It was because of Bobby."

"Exactly. But you always laughed at me when I said I would be a doctor." He chuckled, recalling the past. "I never expected you to be interested in medicine. So what changed your mind about it?"

"I bet you'd love for me to say that it was all because of you," she smiled, "but it wasn't. My aunt died of lung cancer when I was thirteen. There was no way that she was really going to survive. The cancer had spread to the rest of her body. But the doctors never gave up on her. I would watch them try to different treatments and be encouraging. I guess it just made me want to be able to help others."

"I'm sorry about your aunt. She was a nice lady."

"Yeah, she was." Lucy replied, wanting to talk about something more pleasant than death.

He could see that she didn't want to talk about it anymore, so he decided to change the subject. He took a good look at her. She looked worn out, like she hadn't been getting enough sleep. "You look tired. Not sleeping well?"

She looked up at him. It was odd how well he knew her. "I've been having a lot of weird dreams lately." She explained, hoping that he didn't ask her what they were about. She didn't really want to tell him that she was dreaming about him.

"Nightmares?" He asked.

"No, not nightmares." Lucy shook her head.

"What are they about?" He asked out of curiosity.

Oh no. What am I going to tell him? "I don't remember the whole dream—just bits and pieces. But they are definitely weird dreams."

"Well I know the feeling." He nodded. "I've been having some pretty weird dreams lately too."

"So what are your dreams about?" she asked out of curiosity.

What am I going to tell her? I definitely can't tell her that they are all about her. That would probably freak her out. "I don't remember the dreams either." He lied.

She looked at her watch. "We should get back to work."

"Yeah." He nodded as they got up and walked out of Doc Magoos. Suddenly, Lucy started laughing. He looked over at her. "What's so funny?"

Lucy looked over at him. "Wouldn't it be funny if we were having the same weird dreams?"

He laughed at her comment. "Yeah it would be. But I doubt it. My dreams are quite strange." The dreams were good, but they were strange. He had never thought about Lucy in a romantic kind of way until these dreams started.

She nodded. Her dreams about him were odd too. "You're probably right. There's no way we're dreaming the same thing." Although it would be wonderful if we were sharing dreams. As they walked back into the hospital together neither knew that they were, indeed, sharing the same dreams.


	9. The Dance

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Nine

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted, but thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

Saturday Night

Shelby knocked on Lucy's door and sneaked a glance at her watch. "Are you ready yet? Carter's gonna be here any minute."

"Yeah. I think I'm ready." Lucy replied, opening the door. She put another barrette in her hair and then turned to Shelby. "Do I look ok?" She felt a little self-conscious. She had never really gone to a formal event like this. She didn't even go to her high school prom, so this was a whole new experience for her.

Shelby took a long look at Lucy. She was wearing a floor-length, deep crimson red dress with spaghetti straps. Her hair was curled and pulled back with sparkled barrettes. She looked great.

Why was Shelby taking so long to answer such a simple question? "Ok. You're making me even more nervous. Is it the hair? Is the hair not good enough?"

Shelby smiled. "No Lucy. The hair is fine. You just…you look amazing."

"Really?" She started to relax a little. "Oh, ok."

"Is there any particular reason why you're so nervous?" Shelby smiled. "It wouldn't be because you're afraid to spend the night alone with Carter, are you?"

The truth was that Lucy was a little nervous at the thought of another night out with Carter—especially after the dreams she had been having about him all week. But she would never admit it—especially to Shelby. Shelby would only make a big deal about it. "No. I'm nervous because I haven't seen his grandmother in a very long time. Plus, I have never been to any kind of social event like this. I don't want to make a fool out of myself." That sounded believable.

"Whatever you say." Shelby rolled her eyes. She knew the truth. They both heard the doorbell. "I think you should answer the door since it's for you."

"Sure." Lucy replied, grabbing her purse and heading towards the door. She opened it and saw Carter dressed in a black tuxedo. She felt her heart skip a beat or two as she took a look at him. He looked absolutely gorgeous in a black tux. "Hi."

"Wow." That was all he could say as he looked at Lucy. Maybe it was the combination of the dress and her hair, but either way, she looked even more breathtakingly beautiful.

She started to think that maybe she was overdressed for the occasion and maybe that was why he was being so silent. "Is the dress ok?"

He finally found his voice and smiled. "The dress is definitely ok."

"Good." She smiled back. "I'm ready if you are."

"Then let's go." He linked her arm in his and they headed out for his jeep. He held the passenger door open for her. Walking back over to the driver's side of the jeep, he had to remind himself to calm down. He had been nervous about tonight all day long, and now that he saw how good that Lucy looked, he was getting more nervous. Starting up the engine and driving away, he reflected back upon the dreams he had been having ever since they went to dinner together. They were definitely good dreams. He couldn't deny that. Just thinking about them brought a smile to his face. But they were also dumbfounding. He wasn't sure when it had happened, but he was starting to be very attracted to his best friend.

She was being quiet because she was nervous about being alone with him outside of work. Well, they weren't going to be completely alone. She guessed that there would be a lot of other people at the fundraiser. But in a sense, they would be alone. She looked over at him. He was being very quiet tonight. Maybe it's because we're going to a fundraiser in honor of his deceased brother. She decided to believe that excuse rather than he was nervous about being alone with her.

The hotel wasn't too far from Lucy's apartment so it didn't take them long to arrive. He pulled up to the front and handed his keys to the valet. Then he walked over and joined Lucy. "Ready?" he linked his arm with hers.

She smiled. "I'm ready."

They walked into the hotel and headed towards the room holding the party. Carter knew that his Gamma would be in the main ballroom overseeing everything. They walked into the ballroom and he immediately started looking for his Gamma.

Lucy took a long look at the room they had entered. It was elaborated decorated, with tables lining the walls. In the middle, there was a large dance floor. There were about a dozen happy couples dancing to the soft beat of a jazz band. Everyone else was sitting at their tables chatting with friends and acquaintances.

He found his Gamma and looked over at Lucy. That's when he saw the look on her face. She looked genuinely fascinated by the activity in the room. He chuckled, thinking back to the first fundraiser. He remembered that he had that same goofy look on his face too. "It's quite a sight, isn't it?"

She looked over at him, nodding. "I don't know what I expected, but this is amazing."

"I know what you mean. I've found where Gamma is. Let's go say hi." Carter suggested, letting go of her arm and grabbed a hold of her hand. "She's going to be so surprised to see you again."

She looked down at the hand he had grasped. When he touched her, she swore that she felt some kind of spark there. But she quickly dismissed it and shook that thought from her head. "You know that she probably won't remember me."

"Yeah she will." Carter smiled, leading her through the crowd.

Millicent Carter was talking to a bunch of potential investors when she saw her grandson approaching with a woman. She was always glad to see John, but she was even happier that he actually brought a date. She smiled and politely excused herself from the group, meeting John half way. "John! I'm so glad that you've come. How are you?" She gave him a hug and looked at the girl he had brought with him. She looked so familiar…could it really be her?

"I'm fine." Carter smiled, letting go of Lucy's hand to return his gamma's hug. When he pulled away from the hug, he quickly grabbed Lucy's hand again.

"The hospital isn't working you too hard, are they?" Millicent asked. She was worried about him and the kinds of hours he was going to have to put in as an ER doctor.

"No." he chuckled. "They aren't."

She looked over at Lucy and smiled. "Lucy, I haven't seen you in ages. How are you dear?"

Lucy was shocked that Millicent still remembered her, but she was also happy. "I'm fine, thank you. How are you?"

"I can't really complain." She replied with a smile. "How long have you been back in Chicago?"

"I've been back for a few weeks."

"She's also a med student and we work at County together." Carter added.

"Oh, you're becoming a doctor too?" Millicent asked. "Well that sure is coincidental. Are you two dating?" She really hoped they were. She had watched them grow up together, and Lucy always seemed to have a calming effect on John. They would definitely make a good couple.

Carter knew that she would ask that. Truthfully, he didn't really have an answer for that question. They were friends, even though he was starting to think that he wanted more than just a friendship with Lucy. "No, Gamma, we're just good friends."

Lucy inwardly frowned at that comment. She knew that Carter just wanted to be friends, and that statement just crushed any hopes she had about him having romantic feelings for her.

Millicent looked back and forth at the two of them and grinned. She had only been near them for a few moments, but she could tell that there was a chance for something more between them than just a friendship. At that moment, she became determined to bring the two of them together. "Well we'll talk and catch up later. Right now, I have to go mingle with potential investors." She turned to Carter. "I suggest you try to be sociable also."

"Yes m'am." Carter nodded as she went back into the crowd. Then he turned to Lucy. "See? I told you she would remember you."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Ok, so you were right. Are you brag about it the whole night?"

"Nope." He told her with a smug smile on his face. "All I wanted to do was point out that I was right. So I'm done bragging now."

"Good!" she laughed. "Bragging isn't very attractive on you."

He removed the smug smile from his face and gave her a more genuine smile. "How's that?"

She smiled. "Much better."

He looked at his watch. "We have about a half hour before they start serving dinner. Would you mind coming with me as I try to be sociable to these fine people?"

"I'd be happy to."

"Then let's go!" he tightened his hold of her hand as they worked the room.

* * *

About an hour later, they were finishing up their dessert. They had the unfortunate pleasure of sitting at a table with a bunch of lawyers that kept disagreeing about every topic that was brought up. So after a while, both Carter and Lucy stayed out of their arguments and concentrated on their meals. 

Lucy was pushing the last few bites of her chocolate mousse cake around on her plate. The food was good. Actually, the food was excellent. She'd never had a meal like that before. As she pushed the food around on her plate, she went back to thinking about Carter. He seemed to be her favorite thought lately. All thoughts eventually led to him. Yesterday, when she was doing laundry and thinking about how much fabric softener to use, she found her thoughts drifting to Carter. Then when she was washing dishes, her thoughts lead her back to him again. It was almost like she couldn't do anything without her mind wandering back over to him. She still wasn't sure if she should be worried about that.

As Carter ate the last bite of his cake, he looked over at Lucy. She had been pushing the same piece of cake around on her plate for the last five minutes. Obviously, she was deep in thought about something. Lately, she was doing a lot of deep thinking. He wondered what she's always so deep in thought about. He knew her very well and could usually figure out what she was thinking, but there were times when he had no idea what was going on in her brain. This was one of those times. He leaned over and whispered in her ear. "Are you done eating?"

She snapped back to reality and put her fork down. "Yes. I don't think I can eat any more." She whispered back, noticing that the lawyers at the table were arguing again.

He looked over at the dance floor. There were a few couples dancing. "Would you like to dance with me?"

Dance with him? Like they did earlier in the week when they went out to dinner together? Yes! Of course! She held on to her excitement. "Sure." She replied calmly.

He led her to the dance floor and wrapped his arms around her waist.

The fact that he had wrapped his arms around her waist made Lucy a little nervous. But she tried to push the nervousness and the feelings she was having for him aside. She looked up at him and smiled.

He smiled back at her, trying to dispel the feelings he was having for her. He had thought that dancing with her would be a good idea. But now that he was within a few inches of her and had his arms wrapped around her, he wasn't so sure it was a good idea. As they swayed to the slow pulse of the song, he found out that the desire to kiss her increased. He knew that kissing her wouldn't be the best idea in the world. He would enjoy it; he had no doubt that he would enjoy the feel of her soft lips on his. He did doubt that Lucy would enjoy the kiss as much as he would though. The last thing he wanted to do was make her uncomfortable.

Dancing this close to him was both exhilarating and torturing at the same time. She was excited to be this close to him again and be captured in his embrace. But at the same time, it was also a form of torture. She would love to be able to lean into him and give him a long kiss; however, she knew that she couldn't do that because she wasn't sure that Carter would appreciate it very much. So she simply continued to dance with him and tried to focus on the multiple distractions surrounding her.

Carter looked around the room, desperate for a distraction. He found several possible distractions, but was unable to tear his attention away from Lucy. He figured that if he couldn't ignore her, then he might as well give up. "Are you having a good time?" he asked.

Lucy looked up at him. "Yes, I am. Your Gamma has done a wonderful job organizing this event."

"I think that event-planning is one of her specialties." He laughed.

She laughed too, grateful that the awkward moment had passed. "Well I think that this fundraiser will be a great success."

"I do too. But this thing sort of reminds me of my high school prom." He paused, and then started to explain. "You know, getting all dressed up, eating a fancy dinner, dancing, and mingling with people that aren't really your friends. You know what I mean?"

"Actually…," she looked down at the floor for a moment, "I never went to my prom."

He looked at her strangely. How could she have not gone to her own prom? He had no doubt in his mind that guys should have been interested in dating her, so what was the problem. "Why not?"

"I don't know. It wasn't like I didn't get asked or anything." Her next statement surprised even herself. "I just didn't get asked by the right guy." She suddenly realized why she hadn't gone to her prom. She didn't go because Carter wasn't there to take her. All this time she had convinced herself that she didn't go because she was against the whole idea of dressing up just to spend a few hours with your friends.

She didn't get asked by the right guy? "Oh, ok. I understand. So who was he? A jock that you had a crush on?" He corrected himself. "No, it couldn't have been a jock. You're much too smart to fall for a dumb jock. He must have been smart."

She grinned. "Yeah, he was definitely smart. But he had no idea that I even existed."

"You never told him that you had feelings for him?"

"No!" She shook her head. She had never expressed her feelings to Carter; she probably never would.

"Why not?" He wasn't quite sure why he was so interested in this or why he was he starting to feel a little jealous now that he knew Lucy had been interested in this other guy.

"I would have been rejected if I told him how I felt." Lucy replied.

"How do you know that? Maybe he had feelings for you too and you just didn't know it." Carter suggested.

"I don't think so. It's highly unlikely." She replied, becoming uncomfortable. "Can we stop talking about this now?"

"Sure." Carter shrugged.

Millicent walked over to where Carter and Lucy were dancing. She really hated to interrupt them; she was hoping that they were getting closer. But she knew that she had to interrupt and gently touched her grandson's shoulder. "John, I'm sorry to cut in, but it's almost time for the speech."

"Ok." Carter nodded. This was the part of the evening that he hated the most. He despised having to bring out old memories of his brother just to try and tug at the heartstrings of the people here at the fundraiser, so that they would give more money. At least it was for a good cause. He reluctantly let go of Lucy. "I should go get ready."

"Good luck." Lucy smiled.

"Thanks; I'll need it." He smiled back before leaving.


	10. First Kisses

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Ten

**A/N: I'd like to send out a huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story! Enjoy!**

When Carter left to go get ready to give his speech, Lucy was left on the dance floor with his Gamma. She smiled nervously.

"Lucy, can I speak with you for a moment?" Millicent asked, giving her a warm smile.

"Sure." Lucy nodded, following the older woman back to an empty table.

"First of all, let me say how happy I am to see you again. I was wondering if you'd ever come back to Chicago."

"I almost didn't." Lucy smiled, remembering her reservations about moving back here.

"But you did, and look at you now. You've grown up a lot Lucy. I bet your mother is very proud of you." Millicent guessed.

"Yeah, I think she is. She'd be happier if I had stayed in Indianapolis with her though."

"I think it's only natural for her to want you close by." She smiled. "I hope you don't think I'm overstepping my bounds, but since you have accompanied him tonight, is it safe to assume that you have forgiven my grandson for his…foolishness?"

Lucy chuckled softly at her choice of words. Foolishness was a perfect way of describing Carter's behavior. "Yes. We're good friends again."

"I'm very glad to hear that. I never agreed with the decisions he made regarding your friendship. I always thought that you were a good influence on him." Millicent paused for a moment. "You still are. This is the first fundraiser that John has come to with a smile on his face. Usually he come here and doesn't even try to have a good time or mingle and meet new people. But he seems happy tonight."

Lucy blushed at the compliments that Millicent was throwing at her, but she wasn't too surprised. Millicent had always liked her and approved of her friendship with John. His parents were a totally different story however.

Millicent watched Lucy closely, trying to figure out the most polite way of asking if she had feelings for her grandson. She could tell by the look on her face that Lucy had feelings for him. Lucy's smile seemed to glow when he was around. Millicent wondered if Lucy was even aware of that. Finally, she came up with the perfect way to delve into Lucy's personal life without making her real intentions seem too obvious. "So, are you seeing anyone since you got back?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, I've been too busy to try and find anyone to date. Working at the hospital all the time doesn't leave a whole lot of time to go out and try to meet new people."

"Perhaps the perfect person for you is hiding in plain sight though." The older woman hinted.

Lucy smiled and shook her head. She should have seen this coming a mile away. "I know what you're saying, but really, John and I are just good friends—nothing more and nothing less."

"Ok. I won't push. Just remember what I said. The perfect person could be hiding right under your nose."

Lucy laughed, not angry for the way Millicent was butting into her personal life. "I'll remember that. Thank you."

The women quickly turned their attention to the stage as Carter got up to the podium and prepared to speak.

* * *

The two women rushed over to Carter after he was finished giving his speech. "You did great. I think that was the best speech you've ever given." Millicent smiled, giving her grandson a hug and a kiss on the cheek. 

"Thanks." Carter replied, still feeling a little nervous from giving the speech.

"It was a very nice speech." Lucy replied, echoing Millicent's congratulatory compliments. She refrained from giving him a hug and a kiss though.

"I'm going to go check on how the silent auction is going." Millicent excused herself, wanting to give them some time alone.

Carter looked over at Lucy and gave her a smile. "I don't know about you, but I could use some fresh air. Care to join me on the balcony?" He offered her his arm to take hold of.

She smiled back and grabbed his arm. "Sure, let's go." They walked out to the balcony and found that they were alone.

"It's good to finally be alone for a moment." Carter sighed.

"Hey! You're not alone right now. I'm here. Remember me?" Lucy reminded him playfully.

"Oh you know what I mean." He joked back. "Sometimes I feel so…suffocated in there."

They were both quiet for a moment since Lucy didn't know how to respond to that statement. She finally broke the silence. "It really was a good speech."

"Yeah?" He laughed. "I made it up as I went along. This was the first year that I didn't have a speech already planned out. I just spoke from the heart."

"Well it showed." She nodded.

He walked over to the edge of the balcony and looked up at the full moon that was shining down on them. "Maybe I should speak from the heart more often."

She walked up next to him and looked at the moon with him. "Bobby would be so proud of you."

"Why?" He questioned, looking down at her. He couldn't help but notice how wonderful she looked in moonlight. The moonlight danced across her face, making her look like an angel.

"Well look at you! You're helping to obliterate the disease that took his life and you're becoming a great doctor." She paused. "Not to mention that you're also becoming a great man. I'd bet anything that he's looking down at you from heaven and smiling."

"I miss him." Carter whispered. Other then the yearly speeches he gave at these fundraisers, he rarely ever talked about Bobby. It felt good to admit that he missed his brother to her.

She chuckled softly. "He had the weirdest sense of humor!"

Carter laughed too. "Yeah. Remember when we were five and had chicken pox? You came over to play and Bobby pulled a practical joke on us?"

She started laughing harder. "How could I ever forget that?"

_Flashback_

A five-year old Lucy and Carter sat in Carter's house. They both had chicken pox, so their parents allowed them to play together. They were drawing together when Bobby entered the living room.

"So, you guys have chicken pox?" Bobby asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah." Carter replied, looking up briefly and then going back to his drawing. Shortly after that statement, he had to scratch his arm for the fiftieth time that day.

"Do you like scratching all the time?" Bobby asked, already knowing the answer to that question too.

"No!" Lucy shook her head angrily. "I hate it!"

"I do too!" Carter echoed.

Bobby smiled. "Want to get rid of your chicken pox?"

"Yes!" Carter and Lucy exclaimed at the same time.

"Well I know how." Bobby announced proudly.

"How?" Lucy asked, curiously.

"Well…," The eight-year old paused, "maybe I shouldn't tell you."

"C'mon Bobby! Tell us!" Carter argued.

"Are you sure?" Bobby asked.

"Yes, just tell us please? We'll do anything." Lucy pleaded. All she wanted was to make her body stop itching. It was driving her crazy.

"Anything? You'll do anything?" Bobby repeated.

"Yes." Carter replied, getting a little annoyed.

"I guess I can tell you how to make the itching stop." Bobby smiled. "You guys have to kiss each other on the lips."

"What?" Carter asked, in shock.

"You two have to kiss on the lips. It's the only way to stop itching." Bobby replied, trying hard not to burst out laughing. But that would ruin the practical joke, so he kept his laughter hidden.

"Are you sure about this?" Lucy asked. She liked Carter; he was her friend. But she didn't want to kiss him or any other boy.

"I'm sure. Either you guys kiss or you'll just continue to itch for the rest of your lives." Bobby explained.

"I don't know about this." Lucy told Carter.

"We don't want to itch for the rest of our lives, do we?" Carter asked her.

"No." Lucy shook her head.

"So I guess we have to kiss." Carter told her.

"Ok." Lucy replied. They leaned in closer to each other and gave each other a very short kiss on the lips. They both immediately pulled away and looked at Bobby.

"Ha! You guys actually fell for that!" Bobby laughed, holding his stomach.

Lucy started to itch again. "Hey! You said kissing would make the itching stop. It didn't!"

"Yeah." Carter scratched his leg. "You lied!"

"I didn't think you two would actually go ahead and kiss. But it sure was funny!" Bobby laughed harder and left the living room.

_End of flashback_

"I still can't believe we were gullible enough to believe that kissing would cure chicken pox." Lucy shook her head.

"Well we were young." Carter reasoned.

"Still…we were very gullible." She pointed out. Suddenly she noticed that it was getting cold out there.

"Yeah." He chuckled, looking over at her. He could tell that she was getting cold, so he removed his coat and placed it around her shoulders.

She looked over at him and smiled. "Thanks."

"No problem. I know how much you hate to be cold." He smiled back.

She found that she had to break away from the eye contact that they were having or else she would not be able to control the urge to kiss him. So she looked back up at the clear sky and the stars.

Once she broke the eye contact they had shared, he too looked up at the stars. But he also grabbed her hand, which was resting on the railing of the balcony. "Thanks for coming with me tonight."

She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the tiny sparks of electricity that she felt when he touched her skin. "No problem. I know how much you don't like these events."

"They are definitely a lot more fun with you around." He turned to face her, but kept a hold of her hand.

She turned and faced him, reluctantly bringing her eyes up to meet his. She realized that she could get lost in those dark, soulful eyes for hours—maybe even days. "I'm glad to help."

He stared into her bright blue eyes and couldn't help but grin like a fool. He knew it would most likely be a mistake, but he couldn't help himself. To him, this seemed like a perfect moment to lean in and kiss her. The moonlight was shining down on them, they were alone, and they could still hear the faint sounds of the band that was playing inside. So he leaned in slowly and placed a soft kiss up on her lips.

Lucy knew when she saw him slowly approach her that he was leaning in to kiss her, and she did nothing to stop him. When she felt his lips touch hers, she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a deeper kiss. She knew this was a bad idea, but it felt so good that she didn't want to stop.

He was surprised that she was deepening the kiss. But he was happy about it too. So he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close to him. Kissing her felt so good, and so right. He didn't want to stop. Eventually though, he had to breathe. He pulled apart from her and tried catching his breath.

Lucy needed to breathe too, so she was also trying to catch her breath. She looked down at the ground, afraid to look him in the eyes. Although she had wanted to kiss him all night, she hadn't actually expected it to happen. Now she was left to wonder what that kiss meant.

Carter looked down at the ground too. He was also wondering what that kiss meant, and what kind of ramifications it was going to have. "That was…"

"Interesting." Lucy interrupted, finishing his sentence for him. She was very afraid that he was going to say that it was a mistake. "But a lot better than the one that happened when we were five."

"Yes, I agree." He nodded. Interesting was not the word he was going to use to describe their kiss. He was going to call it amazing, but apparently Lucy didn't feel the same way.

She knew that she couldn't stay out here with him much longer without kissing him again. But she knew that kissing him again would only complicate their friendship even more. "Wanna go back inside?" she suggested.

No! He wanted to stay out there and kiss her again. But she didn't seem too receptive to that, so he simply nodded and they went back inside to enjoy the rest of the party.


	11. Guess Who's Back

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Eleven

**A/N: Thanks for the wonderful reviews! Enjoy!**

A few weeks later

Lucy let out a huge sigh that she had been holding in all day as she sat down a bunch of charts on the admit desk. It had been a very busy day in the ER and Lucy's shift had just ended.

Carter, who had been working on a chart next to her, looked over at her. "Long day?"

Lucy diverted her attention from the charts over to Carter and smiled. "The longest! I'm so glad it's over."

He nodded understandingly, and then went back to his chart. Since the fundraiser, they hadn't talked very much. They had gone to dinner a few times and seen a few movies, but something was different. Both of them seemed too embarrassed and awkward because of the kiss they had shared. He was now determined to change that; he wanted to get their friendship back on track again. A few seconds later, he looked over at her again. "Would you like to go grab something to eat?"

She thought about it for a moment. The past few weeks had been weird. She felt awkward around him because of the kiss they shared at the fundraiser. They had spent time together, but it was still rather strange between them. "Sure, sounds good."

"Great." He smiled. "I know this great place…"

"Oh Lucy!" Randi interjected, completely interrupting Carter's sentence. "There's a guy in chairs who is waiting for you. He's been here for about a half hour. I told him you'd see him when you got a chance."

Lucy groaned. "Great. It's probably another patient." She looked over at Carter. "I'll be right back." She walked around the admit desk and started to smile widely when she saw his familiar face. She walked faster and gave him a warm hug. "I can't believe it! What are you doing here?"

Ben pulled away from the hug and smiled at Lucy. "I work for an ad agency in New York now. I just came to Chicago to meet with a client. I called Shelby and she told me I could find you here. I'm leaving tomorrow morning, but I wanted to take you out to dinner tonight. You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"No. I'd love to go out to dinner with you." Then she remembered that she had just made dinner plans with Carter. "But excuse me for a moment. I have to go take care of one thing before we can leave." She quickly made her way back to Carter.

Carter had been watching Lucy and this new guy carefully. Lucy hadn't told him that she was dating anyone, so he doubted that it was her boyfriend. But Lucy could have a new boyfriend that he didn't know about. Then again, it could be an old boyfriend. He had to admit that he felt a twinge of jealousy as he watched them hug.

"I'm so sorry to do this, but can I take a rain check on dinner?" Lucy asked hesitantly. She hated to do this to Carter, but Ben was only going to be in town for one night.

"Why?" Carter asked, hoping that she'd tell him who the guy was and what her relationship to him was.

She pointed to Ben. "He's an old friend that's only going to be in town for one night. I really hate to…"

"Don't worry about it." Carter smiled even though he was disappointed. "Go have a good time."

"Ok." She paused, thinking about it for a moment. Her face brightened up. "Why don't we go out to breakfast tomorrow before our shifts start? My treat?"

"Sounds good, but you don't have to…" He didn't want her to take him out to breakfast out of guilt.

"But I want to, and I won't take no for an answer." A part of her felt guilty about leaving him behind like this, but her offer wasn't made because of her guilt. The truth was she wanted to spend time with him.

"Ok." He smiled. "Then I guess we'll have breakfast tomorrow. Pick you up at 9?"

"I'll be ready!" She turned to leave. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight. Have fun." He called after her as she left with the mystery guy. But then he lowered his voice. "But don't have too much fun."

Lucy walked out of the hospital with Ben, still a little sad that she wasn't having dinner with Carter. But they would have breakfast together, so it was ok. "So how have you been?"

"Good." Ben smiled. "My career is going great. I've been working at this ad agency for about a year now and I've already gotten a promotion."

"That's great!" She exclaimed, genuinely happy for him. "But it doesn't surprise me. You've always been great at your job."

"I guess." He nodded, not wanting to brag. "So you're still pursuing your medical dreams?"

"Yep."

"How is that going?"

"Great." She grinned. "It's really hard work, but it's worth it. I love being able to help people."

"You're a naturally helpful person and you're smart. That's why you're going to be a good doctor."

"Thanks." She accepted his compliment and they got into a taxi. She thought that they would go to a Chinese place or maybe go get a pizza. She was surprised when Ben suggested that they go someplace a little nicer. After getting a table and ordering, they started catching up on the past year.

"So, who was that guy you were talking to at the hospital?" Ben asked casually.

"Oh, that was just Carter." Lucy nodded.

"The Carter?" Ben laughed. "You mean I was actually in the same building with the Carter?

Lucy laughed too. "What are you talking about?"

"Well it's just that I didn't know I was in the same building with a living legend! I should have gotten his autograph!" Ben joked. He had heard the whole story of her friendship with Carter and how it had unraveled.

Lucy rolled her eyes.

"So I guess you've finally forgiven him?" He knew that she was mad at Carter for the way he had treated her and Shelby.

"Yes." She nodded. "That's all in the past now."

"I'm not surprised. I always thought that you would eventually forgive him."

"And why is that?" She asked curiously.

"Because you have feelings for him." Ben replied matter-of-factly.

Lucy was surprised at his response and couldn't respond for a moment. "I…I do not." Her statement was supposed to come out strong, but it was a weak protest.

He smiled at her. "Ok Lucy, deny it all you want. But I do know you, and I saw the way you looked at him at the hospital." He paused for a moment, as if considering whether or not to say his next statement. "You never looked at me that way."

Lucy felt bad. "Ben, I…"

"It's ok. Don't worry about it." He interrupted her, knowing that she would want to apologize for calling off their wedding. "I actually have a new girlfriend. She works in the same building as me, but on a different floor. She's an insurance agent named Kimberly."

"As long as you're happy, I'm happy for you."

"Well I am happy." Ben nodded.

"Good." Lucy replied with a smile.

"So, do you think that you and Carter have a shot at being happy together?" Ben asked curiously.

Lucy rolled her eyes again. "You are as bad as Shelby! Did she put you up to this? Because she's been nagging me about Carter day in and day out!"

"Shelby hasn't said anything to me about Carter. I just know what I observed, and I remember the way you used to talk about Carter. Yeah, you were mad at him, but I could tell that there were unresolved feelings there that you were suppressing."

"Unresolved feelings that I'm suppressing? Are you turning into my psychiatrist now?" Lucy joked.

Ben laughed. "No. I just want to see you happy Lucy."

"I am happy." Lucy replied, knowing that it was partially a lie. For the most part, she was happy. She was working on becoming a doctor, she had great friends and family, and she had a job that was rewarding. But she was secretly wishing for more than just a friendship with Carter. After the kiss at the fundraiser, she had entertained thoughts of a real relationship with him, but he didn't seem like he wanted a relationship. He seemed perfectly happy being friends. So she didn't press the issue. Knowing that Ben could tell that she had feelings for Carter based on observing a short conversation between Carter and herself was enough to make her wonder if she was being too obvious about her feelings or if Ben just knew her too well.

"Ok. I believe you." Ben replied, knowing that her statement of happiness was a lie.

"We've been basically tearing apart my life all night. Why don't you tell me more about your life?" Lucy asked, hoping to get the spotlight off of her.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Carter knocked on Lucy's door for the tenth time. It was 9:10; he was supposed to pick her up at nine. He was there right on time, but she wasn't answering her door. He was about ready to leave when the door flew open.

"I'm so sorry!" Lucy exclaimed.

Carter took a look at her nighttime attire and laughed. She was wearing her hair up in a disheveled ponytail and wore an oversized t-shirt with shorts. But even in that horrible outfit, he still thought she looked beautiful.

She noticed he was laughing at her and shot him an angry glare. "I really am sorry that I'm not ready. I overslept! Ben and I stayed up late talking and…well, I'm sorry. But I can be ready in seven minutes."

"Ok." Carter smiled, coming into the apartment. He watched as Lucy raced around the apartment getting ready for the day. As he watched her, he started to think about what she had said to him earlier. So Ben was the name of this old friend and she had been talking to him all night? Was that all they had done? And why did he care so much? It wasn't like she was his girlfriend or anything. They were just friends. So why did he always have to remind himself that they were just friends?

Lucy stood in front of Carter, checking her watch. "I'm done in six minutes, forty-five seconds. That's a personal best for me." They walked out of Lucy's apartment in silence. When they got to Carter's jeep, she was surprised that he ran ahead to open the door for her. "Thanks."

"No problem." Carter smiled, getting in on the driver's side. The short drive to the diner was also silent. It wasn't until after they had gotten their orders that they really started talking to each other. "So did you have a good time last night?"

"Yeah. It was nice to see Ben again. I haven't seen him for over a year." Lucy replied. "We stayed up pretty late last night talking and catching up. It's a good thing that Shelby was spending the night with Dave because I really would have felt bad if we had kept her up."

He wasn't sure why, but he didn't like Ben. He felt some weird animosity towards him, but pushed that thought aside. "Well I'm glad that you had a good time."

She felt guilty again for just ditching him last night. "So what did you do last night?" She hoped that he had done something fun.

"Just ordered take-out and watched TV. Nothing special."

"Oh."

"So how long have you and Ben been friends?" Carter asked, getting the conversation started again.

Lucy thought about it for a moment, trying to recall how long she had known Ben. "I guess I've known him for almost four years. We met at a college party in my dorm and became friends. Then we dated for awhile and even got engaged."

"You're engaged to him?" Carter asked, not sure if he wanted to hear the answer.

Lucy realized then that she hadn't told him the whole story. "Oh, no! No, we're not engaged anymore. I called off the wedding about a year ago. But we're still good friends."

His heart rate started to return to normal. "So you called off the wedding?"

"Yeah." Lucy replied casually.

"How close did you come to marrying him?"

She laughed nervously. "Actually, I called it off about two weeks before we were planning on getting married. My mom had everything planned. Invitations were sent out, I had a dress, and everything was taken care of."

Carter realized that if the invitations had already been sent out, she had obviously not invited him to her wedding. That realization hurt, but he understood why she hadn't invited him. She was still furious with him over the way he had treated her. "So why did you call it off? Cold feet?"

She shook her head. "No. I love Ben. I really do. He's a great guy."

Carter wasn't sure he wanted to hear this. The thought of Lucy loving another man was making him very sick to his stomach, but he continued to listen anyway.

"I guess I canceled the wedding because I just didn't love him the way a wife should love their husband." She paused for a moment. "Although I think he did love me the way a husband should love a wife. My mom was practically pushing me to marry him because she wanted to see me happy, but marrying him wouldn't have made me happy. So I sat him down for a talk and we agreed not to get married."

He felt his stomach stop turning once he heard her proclaim that she wasn't in love with Ben. "You called it off just like that?" he snapped his fingers.

"Yep, just like that." Lucy replied with a smile. "I only intend on getting married once, unless, God forbid, my husband dies. I'm not going to settle for a guy that I am not madly in love with. The guy I marry has to be absolutely amazing and has to love me as much as I love him because a marriage can't work if the two people aren't in love with each other."

He was amazed by her answer. "You've really thought this through, haven't you?"

"Yeah." She looked at him curiously. "What? You haven't?"

"Nope." He shook his head. "Even though my Gamma wants to me be married by now, I'm not really thinking about marriage. I'm more concerned with finishing med school."

"C'mon! Don't you ever wish that you could come home after a hard day at work and find someone there waiting for you, ready to listen to everything you say and cheer you up when you need it?" Lucy asked.

"Not really," he grinned, "because I have you and I know you're only a phone call away."

She smiled, realizing just how much she had missed him during the twelve years that they weren't friends. She wasn't sure if she could deal with losing his friendship again. That was why she wasn't sure she should try to pursue a relationship with him, even though she really wanted to.

Carter looked at his watch. "Oh, we better get going if we don't want to be late."

"Ok. Let's go then." Lucy replied, grabbing her purse and following him out to the jeep.


	12. Potential Roommates

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twelve

**A/N: Sorry for the lack of updates lately. It's final exam time again! Yay! But expect a lot more frequent updates once I am finished with this semester. Enjoy!**

Lucy was in the lounge eating the blueberry muffin that she had brought in with her for her breakfast when she noticed Carter enter. "Hey." She said after swallowing her food.

"Hi." Carter smiled back, coming over and sitting next to her on the couch. He gave out a huge yawn and put his feet up on the coffee table. Then he looked over to see what she was eating. "That smells good. Is that a blueberry muffin?"

"Yes." She smiled, rolling her eyes. She knew that he wouldn't openly ask her for a piece of the muffin, but he wanted it, so she tore the remaining muffin into two pieces. "Here."

He took the muffin and immediately started eating. "Thanks."

"No problem. You looked like you could use some food. Hard day?"

He let out an exasperated sigh. "Definitely. Since Dr. Greene is gone for the week, I got stuck with Dr. Weaver. She's…well," he racked his brain trying to find a diplomatic way of describing her, "she's very different than Dr. Greene in every way."

Lucy let out a small chuckle. "That's a very nice way of putting it."

He laughed also. "I thought it was too."

"So are you going to have enough energy for tonight? We did promise Dave and Shelby that we would go out to dinner with them, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember." Carter nodded. He was looking forward to tonight, even though he wasn't going to be alone with Lucy. But he reasoned that maybe it was a good thing they wouldn't be alone. Every time he was alone with Lucy, even now, he just wanted to kiss her again. The only problem with that was that he didn't know where he stood with her. There were times when he swore that she had the same feelings he has for her. Then there were other times when she just seemed to want to be friends and nothing more. It was beyond confusing for him, and he wondered if she was wrestling with the same thoughts that he was wrestling with.

"Good. I'm glad you didn't forget. Shelby said that they have something important to discuss with us." Lucy nodded.

"What do you think it is that they want to talk to us about?" Carter asked out of curiosity.

"I have no idea. Shelby won't even give me a small hint about it. I'm as clueless as you are right now." Lucy replied as she stuffed the last piece of her muffin in her mouth.

"Then I guess it will be a surprise." Carter grinned.

"I better get back out there. My break is over." Lucy announced, getting up from the couch and walking out.

"I'll come by around seven." Carter yelled after her.

* * *

Lucy walked out of her bedroom wearing a simple jean skirt and a red three quarter-length shirt. She smiled when she saw Dave sitting on the couch with Shelby. "Hi Dave." 

"Hey Lucy." Dave replied, giving her a small smile.

"So, Lucy, you look nice. Trying to impress anyone?" Shelby asked. She wasn't as nervous about Lucy's reaction to the news as Dave was. Yeah, she wasn't looking forward to telling Lucy, but she knew that Lucy would be happy for her.

"No." Lucy replied, looking down at her outfit. "Why?"

"No reason. It's just that Carter's coming with us, and you don't usually wear that skirt…" Shelby started to explain.

"The reason I don't wear this skirt very much is because I'm always going to work at the hospital and it wouldn't be appropriate to go to work in this skirt." Lucy interrupted.

"I don't think Carter would mind if you wore that to work." Dave laughed.

At this moment, she was very glad that she hadn't told anyone about the kiss that she and Carter had shared the night of the fundraiser. The teasing from Shelby and Dave was bad enough as it was. If they knew about the kiss, she would never have a moment of peace. "How many times do I have to tell you two that Carter and I are just friends?"

"I can't speak for Dave, but I'll never believe it no matter how many times you say it." Shelby grinned.

"Same here." Dave nodded.

Lucy was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door. She knew it must be Carter, she walked over and opened the door. "Hey."

"Hey." He replied, looking at her outfit. "You look great."

"Thanks." Lucy replied, unable to stop from blushing slightly. "I think we are all ready to go." She turned around to face Shelby and Dave, who had gotten off the couch and stood by Lucy. "Right?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Shelby replied.

* * *

They soon arrived at the restaurant, Shaw's Crab House, and were quickly seated in a corner booth. "You know, I'm really glad that we were all able to come out together like this. It's nice that we're all friends." Shelby smiled. 

"It is nice." Lucy smiled back. Then she let out a laugh. "If you'd told me a couple of months ago that I'd be going out to dinner with this guy," she pointed at Carter, "I would have laughed in your face for hours."

"Hey!" Carter protested haft-heartedly. He knew she was kidding around.

"What?" Lucy asked, looking at him like he'd grown a second head. "I didn't like you very much before I came back to Chicago."

"Well I know that now." He pretended to be upset.

She rolled her eyes at him and gently slapped his arm. "Oh get over it you big baby!"

Shelby and Dave were watching their interaction with great interest. "Hey, has anyone ever told you two that you act like an old married couple?" Dave finally interjected.

Shelby laughed, almost spitting out her drink. "He's right. You guys do remind me of an old married couple."

Carter and Lucy exchanged a glance. Then Lucy turned away. "No we don't!" She objected. "We're just really good friends."

"Yeah." Carter replied, backing up Lucy's statement even though he didn't believe that they were just good friends. He thought they had the potential to be a good couple, but apparently, she didn't.

"Fine. Deny it. But you guys do act like an old married couple." Dave relented.

"Whatever." Lucy shrugged.

* * *

Everyone was now finished with their dinner and they were all still sitting at the table talking. Shelby was certain that this would be the best time to announce the news and set her plan into motion. "Dave and I have come to a decision about something." She said, raising her voice slightly so that she could get Carter and Lucy's attention. 

"A decision about what?" Carter asked.

"Yeah, don't keep us in suspense anymore. We've been waiting all night." Lucy laughed.

"Well," Shelby looked over at Dave and grabbed his hand, "Dave and I are moving in together."

"Congratulations!" Carter smiled. "I didn't realize that you two were getting that serious."

"It might seem sudden, but it sounds like a good idea. Shelby's usually always staying at my place or I'm at hers." Dave explained.

"Well I'm happy for you both." Carter nodded.

"Thanks Carter." Shelby smiled. Then she looked at Lucy, who hadn't said anything since the announcement. "Lucy?"

If Shelby moves out, I'm gonna have to either find a new apartment or get a roommate. There's no way I can afford that apartment by myself. When she heard Shelby call her name, she was driven from her thoughts and brought back to reality. "What? Oh, congratulations." Shelby was sitting next to her in the booth, so she reached over and gave her a hug. "I'm really happy for you. You deserve happiness, and it looks like you've found it."

"Thanks." Shelby replied as she returned the hug Lucy was giving her. Once she pulled away, she looked over at Dave and then at Lucy. "I realize though that this puts you in a bit of crisis."

"What are you talking about?" Carter asked, curious about what kind of a crisis Lucy was in.

"Well, I know that Lucy can't afford the rent by herself." Shelby started.

Lucy sighed. "So I'll either have to move or…"

"Get a roommate." Shelby finished Lucy's sentence and looked directly at Carter.

"You can't move. That's a great apartment." Carter protested.

"You like the apartment?" Shelby asked, hoping that he really did like the apartment.

"Yeah. I think it's nice. It's hard to find a good apartment in this city." Carter replied.

"Believe me, I'd like to keep the apartment I have, but where am I suddenly going to find a roommate? More importantly, where am I going to find a roommate that doesn't mind the fact that I get home at all hours of the night and sometimes have to sleep through the day?" Lucy asked.

"Maybe you could find someone at the hospital?" Dave suggested, following the script that Shelby had written for him.

"I don't know many people at the hospital, and I don't know anyone who needs a place to live." Lucy shot down Dave's idea.

"That's a shame. So I guess you'll have to move then." Dave replied.

"Unless you could find someone who would be willing to live with you." Shelby interjected.

The more Carter thought about this situation, the more he realized that this was a set-up perpetrated by Shelby—with Dave as an accomplice. Shelby had always been the type of person to resort to harmless schemes in order to get what she wanted. The formula for her schemes was always the same. She would casually bring up a topic and then leave subtle clues about what she wanted. Judging from the clues going on around him, for some reason, Shelby seemed to want him to move in with Lucy. He wouldn't really mind moving with Lucy, except for the fact that he might go crazy being around her for that much time. A part of him wasn't sure that he would be able to sleep if she was sleeping in the room next to him. And if they lived together, the temptation for him to 'accidentally' walk in on her taking a shower would be enormous. Aside from the physical and emotional torture he figured he would endure, he couldn't see any reason why they couldn't live together. She was his best friend, and they spent a lot of time together anyway. Why not live together as friends? "Lucy, why don't I move in with you? That way, you can keep your apartment and don't have to worry about taking on a roommate that you don't know anything about."

"Oh that's a great idea!" Shelby beamed, proud that her latest scheme was working.

Lucy sat there, stunned by what Carter had just suggested. He wanted to move in with her? She wasn't sure she could handle that. She was very committed to keeping their friendship and driving away any romantic feelings she had for him. How was she supposed to do that if he was living with her? How was she supposed to sleep knowing that he was in the next room? The temptation for her to 'accidentally' rummage through his things to finally figure out if he wore boxers or briefs would be too great. As much as she liked to believe that she was a very strong-willed person who wouldn't give in on her beliefs, she knew that if Carter moved in with her, she would eventually let everything go and throw all caution to the wind. And throwing caution to the wind would probably ruin their friendship. That was not something she wanted to do. "I don't think that's a good idea." She said quietly.

"Why not?" Carter asked.

"Because…"

"You wouldn't have to worry about finding a roommate, you wouldn't have to worry about getting a roommate you don't know, and I won't complain about the hours that you get in at night because I'll probably have the same hours." He was trying to discredit any objection that she could come up with. "I can give you rides to work, and wouldn't it be cool to live together?"

"I…let me have a couple of minutes to think about this, ok?" She saw him nod and then looked over at Shelby. "Shelby, why don't you come with me to the restroom?"

"Uh, sure." Shelby didn't want to go with Lucy to the restroom, but had no choice. She knew that eventually she would be alone with Lucy and then Lucy would let her have it. She might as well get it over with now.

"You set this up, didn't you?" Lucy asked calmly.

"Set what up?" Shelby asked innocently.

"This dinner. It wasn't to celebrate that we're all friends, or even to announce that you and Dave are moving in together. You want Carter to move in with me. That's why you set up this whole thing."

"You can't prove it." Shelby grinned.

"I know you Shelby and I know that this was one of your schemes. You are always trying to push me towards Carter, and this is just your latest trick."

Shelby braced herself for Lucy to yell at her about how she was just friends with Carter and there was nothing going on between them. But surprisingly, that didn't happen.

"I'm not sure that I could handle having him move in with me." Lucy whispered.

"Why not?" Shelby asked, hoping that Lucy would finally admit that she has feelings for Carter.

"You know why." Lucy laughed.

"So I am right?" Shelby laughed.

"Yeah, but you can't tell him." Lucy pleaded.

"So what's the big deal about having him move in? Wouldn't that be a good idea?"

"No, it wouldn't. If we started a relationship, it would ruin our friendship…"

"Or make it about a hundred times better!" Shelby interjected. "Just trust me on this Lucy. Don't bottle your feelings up forever. Let them out!"

"No thanks." Lucy shook her head.

"Ok." Shelby sighed. "But at least let Carter move in with you. I'd feel really guilty if you had to give up the apartment because of me."

"Well I don't want to make you feel guilty!" Lucy smiled. "Ok." She agreed, but still thought that she was making a mistake.

"It won't be as bad as you think it will be." Shelby replied as they left the restroom together.

Lucy slid back into the booth next to Carter. "Still interested in moving in?"

"Yes." He smiled, hoping she would change her mind and let him move in with her.

"Then I guess I have a new roommate now." She smiled, silently praying that this wasn't a mistake.


	13. Pillow Fight

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirteen

**A/N: Thank you very much for the kind reviews! I know I said I wasn't going to update again this week, but I couldn't help it. I desperately needed a distraction from studying. So enjoy!**

"I think that's the last one!" Lucy exclaimed as she placed a box on the floor in the living room. It had been a week since Shelby and Dave had announced they were moving in together and Lucy had agreed to let Carter move in. Shelby had moved out yesterday, and today after work Lucy helped Carter move his stuff to her apartment. Actually, now it was their apartment. She still wasn't sure that having him move in was a very good idea, but she was willing to give it a shot. Between working and helping Carter with his things, she was exhausted. She walked around the numerous piles of boxes and sat on the couch.

"Thank God it's the last one!" Carter explained placing a box on the floor that was much heavier than the one Lucy had brought with her. He was glad that she had offered to help him move, but he knew that she wasn't nearly as strong as he was so he gave her the lighter boxes. The only problem with that strategy was that he had to carry all of the heavy stuff. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and sat down next to Lucy on the couch. "Remind me not to move again anytime soon. It's too exhausting."

She laughed. "Ok. Do you want to order a pizza? I don't feel like cooking right now."

"Sure. That sounds good." Carter nodded.

Lucy got up from the couch and picked up the phone. After pressing the speed-dial button for the pizza place, she ordered their pizza. After she hung up, she turned back to Carter. "It will be here in about forty-five minutes."

"That's more than enough time to take a shower then." Carter said out-loud. He had packed a small overnight bag filled with a couple changes of clothes and his toiletries so that he wouldn't be rushed to unpack. He grabbed the bag and headed towards the bathroom.

She watched him leave the room and tried very hard not to think about him taking a shower in the same bathroom that she's taken dozens of showers. Ok, I won't think about that. I'll think about something else. I wonder if he wears boxers or briefs. I shouldn't be thinking about that either. She heard the shower water run and nervously bit her lip. He had given her the light boxes to carry up to the apartment because he knew that she wasn't as strong as he was. One of those light boxes contained some of his clothes. Glancing down the hallway to make sure he was still in the shower, she crept over to the boxes she had carried up and started to open it up. She was about to look inside the box and find out once and for all whether it was boxers or briefs when the phone rang. The sound sent her jumping and she silently cursed whoever was calling. "Hello?"

"Hey. It's me. I just wanted to see how you and Carter are getting along." Shelby asked.

"We're fine." Lucy replied. "He's taking a shower right now."

"Any chance you'll be joining him?" Shelby asked casually.

"No!" Lucy screamed. "Shelby, you know that's not going to happen!"

"I know." She sighed. "But you can't take away my optimism and hopefulness."

Lucy decided to change the subject. "So how are you and Dave getting along?"

"Just fine. He's out picking up dinner right now, so I thought I'd call and check up on you two." Shelby explained.

"Well we're fine. Thanks for the concern." Lucy laughed.

"Ok. Talk to you later." Shelby laughed, hanging up the phone.

Lucy put the phone back down and started to stretch. Even though she hadn't carried the heaviest boxes, she was a little sore from the physical labor.

"Did I hear the phone?" Carter asked as he entered the living room and saw Lucy stretching.

Lucy turned around and saw Carter was dressed in a white shirt and shorts that came down to his knees. "Shelby called to make sure that we are getting along like good little children."

Carter laughed. "The bathroom's free if you want to take a shower now."

Lucy looked at him strangely. "Are you trying to tell me that I smell or something?"

"You do smell." He told her with a grin on his face. He really enjoyed teasing her. "But it's a very nice smell." Noting that she was rolling her eyes at him, he clarified his earlier statement about the shower. "I just noticed that you were stretching. If your muscles are sore from carrying boxes, a shower would feel good. I know it helped me."

She looked at the clock hanging on the wall and saw that she had about twenty minutes before the pizza came. That was more than enough time to take a shower. "In that case, then I'll go take a shower."

He watched her leave the room and resisted the urge to 'accidentally' walk in on her while she was in the shower. Instead, he sat down on the couch and started to watch TV while he waited for the pizza to get there.

* * *

"Thanks for helping me today." Carter smiled as they ate pizza on the couch. "I didn't know that I had this much stuff." 

"I know what you mean. I was astonished to see how much stuff I had when I moved from Indianapolis." Lucy laughed. "And you're welcome. Helping you was the least I could do considering that you have agreed to move in here."

"You make it sound like you're a horrible person to live with!" He laughed.

"Well, I'm sure that Shelby could rattle off a whole list of bad qualities that I have." She grinned. "But I have a whole list about her, so it's all fair."

"I just don't see how she could list many bad qualities. I mean, you do have a few, but…"

"Excuse me? What are you talking about? I don't have any bad qualities!" Lucy interrupted.

He smiled. "You have a few."

"Oh really?" She put her pizza down on the coffee table and looked directly at him. "Name them then."

He put his pizza down as well. "What?"

"Name my bad qualities!" Lucy dared him.

He was starting to regret the fact that he had told her she had bad qualities. But 'bad qualities' was not really the right way to describe it. On anyone else, he would consider them bad qualities; however, on Lucy they were more like endearing quirks. "Are you sure you're ready to hear them?"

"Yes. Tell me. What is wrong with me?"

"Ok. You asked for it. You're incredibly stubborn and won't listen to anyone. You also have trouble accepting help or kindness…"

"I do not have trouble accepting help or kindness!" She interrupted.

"Yes you do! You hardly ever let me pay for dinner when we go out together. We always end up arguing about your insistence to go Dutch treat." He pointed out. "And you interrupt me a lot."

"I only interrupt you when you're making false statements." Lucy defended herself. She knew that she was appearing to be very mad, but she wasn't really mad at him for what he was saying about her. Still, she decided to get her revenge. "Are you through bad-mouthing me now?"

He chuckled at her words. "Yes, I guess I am."

"Good. Now it's my turn to tell you what your bad qualities are."

"This shouldn't take much time. I don't have any bad qualities." Carter boasted, trying to get her angrier.

"You don't have any bad qualities?" She questioned. "I find that very hard to believe. You're just as stubborn as I am, you're easily peer pressured, and every time we go out to eat you end up taking my food. Besides that, your ego is the size of Eastern Europe! I'm amazed you could get it through my door!"

He laughed at her comments, knowing that she was only joking around. "Well I'm so sorry that you have to put up with my enormous ego. I didn't realize it was such a burden to you."

Lucy grinned. "It's quite a hardship." She took the pillow that was resting behind her and smacked him on the head.

"Hey! What are you doing?" He exclaimed as she continuously hit him.

"I'm trying to deflate your ego!" She laughed.

He knew he had to do something to get back at her for attacking him with a pillow. So he took a nearby pillow and started hitting her. "Let's see how you like it!"

"Hey! That's not nice! I was trying to help you by getting rid of your ego. You're just…"

"I'm just defending myself!" He laughed. The pillow fight continued until he found himself on the floor, and he was right on top of Lucy. Somehow they had fallen off the couch and he had landed on her. They were both breathing heavily from the pillow fight. He looked and saw that her pillow was gone. "It looks like I win. You're unarmed." He grinned. "You give up?"

She was trying to catch her breath from the pillow fight but the fact that Carter was laying on top of her wasn't helping much. She was basically pinned down to the ground and at his mercy, but somehow she didn't mind. Inwardly, she cursed herself because she knew this was going to happen. Since they were living together now, she knew that something like this would happen and she would lose all self-control around him. She just didn't expect it to happen on the first day he moved in. "I give up." She replied quietly. A part of her never wanted this moment to end. But the other, more responsible part of her knew that this was a situation that she didn't need to be in. It was way too tempting to close the few inch gap between them and start kissing him.

He had finally gotten his breathing under control, but it wasn't easy considering the fact that he was laying on top of Lucy. Their faces were so close together that all he would have to do to make their lips touch was lean in a couple of inches. He was incredibly tempted to kiss her, and almost did. But he decided that it probably wasn't a very good idea and stopped himself. He reluctantly got up and held out his hand to Lucy so that he could help her get off the floor.

"Thanks." Lucy whispered, wondering what to do now. It was too bad that she had already taken her shower or she would excuse herself to go do that. Instead, she faked a yawn and picked up her pizza. "I'm really tired. I think I'm going to go get some sleep."

"Yeah. I think I will too. These boxes can wait until tomorrow to get unpacked." Carter replied, also faking a yawn.

"Goodnight." Lucy smiled, practically running back to her bedroom.

"Goodnight." Carter nodded.

* * *

_Carter crept along slowly as he entered her room. The blinds were closed, but a faint trace of moonlight slipped in, illuminating the bed and it's occupant. When he approached the bed, he knelt down and looked at the vision in front of him. He started to smile as she woke up and looked directly into his eyes. "I couldn't sleep." He whispered. _

"_Why not?" Lucy asked quietly. _

"_I kept thinking about you having to be in this big bed all by yourself. I thought you might be cold or lonely." He grinned devilishly. _

_She cocked her head to the side and raised one of her eyebrows. "Well I am. Do you want to help me correct that problem?" She made some room for him._

"_I'd be happy to help you with that." He replied as he climbed into bed next to her. He immediately felt her arms wrap around him and pressed his lips to hers. _

_She deepened the kiss and scooted closer to him so that there was no room left between them. When she finally broke away from the kiss she moved down to kiss his bare chest. She reached his waist and smiled widely. "So it is boxers!" she giggled. _

"_Come here." Carter commanded, bringing her lips back up to meet his again. _

Carter was jolted back to reality as his eyes opened and adjusted to the dark room. He realized it was just another dream when he looked around and didn't see Lucy there. It seemed like he was dreaming about her every time he went to sleep. Somehow this dream was different though. It seemed more intense, but maybe that was because of the precarious situation they had been in before they both decided to go to bed. He didn't think he was going to get to sleep right away so he decided to go out to the living room and quietly unpack a couple of his boxes. If he couldn't sleep, then he should try to do something productive.

Lucy's eyes opened suddenly and she looked around the room. It was only a dream again. These dreams have to stop or I'm never going to have a decent night of sleep! She released a low groan of frustration after realizing that she wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep after this dream. This dream had been different. It was more intense and much more vivid than any of her other dreams. She was about to go into the kitchen and get some warm milk so that she could try to get back to sleep sooner, but she heard a huge crash from the living room. She jumped out of bed and ran into the living room to find Carter sitting on his butt with boxes scattered around him. Even thought she tried, she couldn't stifle her laughter. "What happened? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. I just was coming out here to unpack a few things and…well, it's dark in here at night. I ran into some boxes." Carter replied, embarrassed about the situation.

She held out her hand for him to take so that he could get up from the floor. It was then that she noticed he had taken off his shirt and she was given a nice view of his bare chest. She was surprised that she her dream had been accurate in the portrayal of his chest. Then she realized that she was probably staring at his chest and focused her attention on his face. "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"

He didn't want to tell her about the details of his dream, but he didn't want to lie either. "I had a dream, and I couldn't get back to sleep."

"Was it a bad dream?" Lucy asked without thinking.

When he thought about the dream, it brought a small smile to his face. "No, it wasn't a bad dream." He then let the smile leave his face. "I'm sorry that I woke you up."

"Oh don't worry about it. I was already awake."

"Couldn't get to sleep?" He asked.

"No. I didn't have trouble getting to sleep. I had trouble staying asleep. I also had a dream that woke me up." Lucy replied sheepishly.

"Bad dream?"

A slight smile appeared on her face. "No. I wouldn't call it a bad dream." Lucy shook her head. "Well if you're ok, then I'm gonna go and try to get back to sleep."

"Ok. Sorry about the noise." Carter apologized again.

"Like I said, it's ok." She assured him before heading back to her room.

"See you in the morning." Carter called out after her, still not realizing that Lucy was having the same dreams he was having.

As soon as Lucy shut the door to her room, she put her head in her hands. Living with Carter was going to be harder than she thought. She shook that thought from her head and curled up in bed, completely oblivious to the fact that she was still sharing dreams with Carter.


	14. Friends Don't Date?

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Fourteen

**A/N: Wow, it's been awhile since I last updated this story. Sorry about that, but this was a very hard chapter to write. I went through several drafts. Thanks for the terrific reviews! Enjoy!**

A few weeks later

Carter came through the door of the apartment and saw Lucy folding her laundry on the couch. He threw down his keys on the coffee table and let out a heavy sigh.

Lucy looked over at him and smiled. "Hi." Then she went back to folding her laundry.

"Hi." He replied, sitting in a chair since the couch was occupied with her laundry. He glanced over, almost hoping to catch a glance at her unmentionables. To his disappointment, her undergarments were nowhere in sight. He let out another deep sigh.

Lucy stopped folding a shirt and looked over at him with an even wider smile. She knew from the first sigh that he had experienced a hard day at the hospital and wanted to talk about it. "Ok I'll bite. Hard day?"

"What would make you think that?" He grinned.

"Oh I don't know. Maybe it's the way you keep sighing?" Lucy chuckled.

He laughed at how well she knew him. "You're right. It was a hard day."

"What happened?" She asked as she went back to folding her clothes. "I thought you were enjoying your surgical rotation."

"I was…I am. I mean I like the work and I like Dr. Benton. He's a good teacher. I just can't stand Dr. Romano."

"What's so bad about this guy?"

"Have you ever met him?" Carter asked.

She shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

"Believe me, you wouldn't forget meeting him!"

"You're acting like he's the devil incarnate." Lucy pointed out, not understanding why Carter was being so melodramatic. Dr. Romano couldn't be that terrible.

"He may not be the devil incarnate, but he sure does enjoy making the people around him miserable." Carter sighed.

"Carter, I'm sure that he can't be that horrible."

"You'll see when you enter your surgical rotation and have to deal with him." He laughed. "Then when you come home and complain about him I won't show you any compassion about it. We'll see how you like it then."

It wasn't the first time Carter had used the word home to explain the apartment, but for some reason, Lucy couldn't take her mind off the fact that she shared a home with Carter. Home. It seemed like such a simple word. To Lucy, it was one of the most confusing words ever created because it seemed like everyone had a different definition of what a home was. In many ways, Carter's statement was correct. This was their home; it was where they lived. But in other ways, home as not the correct word for their living arrangement. For Lucy, home had always been wherever she lived with her mother. Home signified a place of belonging and love; it was a safe place where you could say or do anything and still be loved by your family. Even for the short time that Lucy had lived here with Shelby, she hadn't really considered this her home. It was just a nice, comfortable place to live.

"Luce? You awake in there?" Carter asked, trying to draw Lucy from her deep thoughts.

Lucy looked over at him and chuckled. "Sorry. I got distracted there for a moment."

"You have been doing that a lot lately." He pointed out.

"Doing what?" She placed the folded shirt on top of a pile of already folded shirts.

"Getting distracted. It's like your mind goes off to another planet." He explained. Truthfully, he was getting worried about her. She had always been the type of person to engage in deep thinking, but lately it seemed like she was always deep in thought about something. Sometimes she'd have a dreamy look on her face, and other times it would be a look of confusion. "Are you ok? Is anything bothering you?"

She saw the look of concern on his face and smiled. "I'm fine." She knew why he was worried. She was aware that she was daydreaming and letting her thoughts run amuck lately. It usually only happened when she talked with him. He would say something or do something that would just send her mind racing. One morning last week she had seen him eating cereal and reading the sports page in the kitchen. That time her mind sent her into a daydream about what it would be like if they had a son. She had envisioned Carter trying to teach their fictitious son all about basketball. "Nothing is bothering me." She tried to reassure him, even though there was something wrong with her. This living arrangement was driving her crazy and she had no idea what to do about it. Noticing that she had folded the last of her clothes, she gathered up the folded garments and placed them back in the empty clothes hamper.

He didn't believe a word of what she was saying, but he knew better than to push her into talking about it. If she didn't want to talk about it, he wouldn't try to make her. That would only cause an argument. "Ok. I'm gonna order some Chinese. Want anything?"

"Yes. Just order my usual." Lucy replied, taking the clothes hamper back to her room so that she could put her clean clothes in her dresser.

After ordering the food, he sat on the empty couch and thought about Lucy. This was one of the only times that he consciously decided to think about her. Usually she just infiltrated his mind at all hours of the day. Part of his problem today was that he couldn't seem to focus on his work.

Flashback

_Earlier in the day_

"_And in cases like these what is the normal course of action, Carter?" Dr. Romano asked, looking over in Carter's direction. _

_Carter had been assigned to Dr. Romano today since it was Peter's day off. But he wasn't focused on anything related to medicine. His mind had wandered off to Lucy again. He was so deep in thought that he hadn't heard Dr. Romano's question. _

"_Carter! Are you even listening to me?" Romano yelled. _

_The yelling got Carter's attention and he looked over at the angry doctor. "Sorry. What was the question?" _

"_I was asking what the normal course of action for this case is." Romano looked at Carter suspiciously. "You do remember the patient we just saw, right?" _

"_Yes." Carter nodded his head. _

"_So what is the treatment?" _

"_Immediate surgery to remove the clotted artery." Carter replied, hoping that he hadn't made Romano too angry. He knew enough to know that making Romano was a big mistake with bad consequences. But after taking one look at the doctor, he knew it was too late._

End of Flashback

Lucy sat down on the other side of the couch and turned on the TV. "So when will the food get here?" She asked, bringing him out of his thoughts.

He looked down at his watch and then heard a knock at the door. "Right now." With a huge smile on his face, he got up and answered the door. Then he came back to the couch with the food and handed Lucy her dinner. "What did you do today?"

Today had been Lucy's day off from work—the first full day off she had gotten in over two weeks. "Mostly laundry." She picked up her chopsticks and began to eat. "I had lunch with Shelby."

"How is she doing? I haven't gotten a chance to talk to her lately."

"She's fine. She loves living with Dave." Lucy grinned.

"And Dave loves living with her too." Carter grinned back.

"It's weird. They haven't even known each other that long, but they're just so completely in love."

"Yeah. That is weird." He nodded.

Lucy sighed. "But love can happen like that. One minute you're going along in life and the next minute you find yourself hopelessly falling in love with someone." That's how it seemed to happen for her with Carter. One day she was just living her life, and the next day she realized that she had feelings for him. It was sudden and almost scary.

He popped some fried rice into his mouth and looked at her suspiciously. After swallowing his food, he spoke. "Are you speaking from personal experience or purely observational experience?"

She laughed nervously, not ready to explain that she knew from personal experience. "Maybe a little of both."

"See I don't believe that love happens that quickly. I think to truly love someone you have to know them. Otherwise, your attraction is based on lust."

"So are you saying that Shelby and Dave have based their relationship on lust?" She asked, curious about what he was talking about and what it all meant.

"No. I'm not saying that." He shook his head and popped more fried rice into his mouth.

"Then what are you saying?"

"Shelby and Dave seem to have a solid base for their relationship. But most relationships are based on lust. That's why the divorce rate in this country is so high."

Lucy laughed. "So the divorce rate is high because every adult in the country can't control their libido?"

He laughed. "Well yeah. But that's a much funnier way of explaining it. The problem seems to be that no one takes the time to get to know the other person before they jump into a relationship. If you're good friends with someone before you get together, you have a better shot at having a lasting relationship."

"You also run a higher risk of destroying the friendship if the relationship doesn't work." Lucy pointed out. "Have you ever seen When Harry Met Sally?"

"Yes, I have." He nodded his head.

"Then you know that as soon as Harry and Sally have sex their friendship is destroyed."

"Yes." He nodded his head again. "But then at the end of the movie they end up getting back together on New Year's Eve and they end up married."

"That's an example of when hooking up with your friends works out happily. Not every hook up ends happily."

He laughed. "Ok. So give me an example of when it doesn't end happily." He was testing her in what he thought was a very subtle way. He wanted to know what her thoughts were about friends becoming more than friends. If she seemed receptive to that kind of thing, he would consider making his move. But it seemed like she wasn't receptive to it.

She couldn't believe her ears. He wanted an example of when it didn't work out? She didn't really have an example of that. "Why do you want an example of that?"

"Because you've already given me an example of when that type of relationship can work out. I want an example of when it doesn't work out."

She rolled her eyes. "I don't have an example, ok?" Lucy exclaimed, getting a little frustrated with this conversation.

"If you don't have an example of this kind of relationship failing, then how do you know that it would fail?"

"I just know it." Lucy explained.

"You're being very pessimistic." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I probably am. But I don't think that it's worth the risk of ruining a good friendship." Lucy replied, focusing her attention on the box of rice that was in her hand.

"How can it not be worth the risk?" Carter asked, getting frustrated. He was hoping that Lucy would be at least a little receptive to the idea of friends going on dates. But now he has found out that he would have a better shot dating Lucy if they were complete strangers! "Think about it. If you go out with a friend, they know what you like and what you don't like. They know how to make you smile and laugh, and they know how to keep you from crying. They want to date you for who you are and not out of lust."

She looked at him suspiciously. "Why are you trying so hard to convince me that friends should date each other?" She was hoping that maybe it was because he wanted to date her. If she knew for sure that he was interested in her, she might consider throwing her pessimistic attitude out the window and adopting a more carefree attitude.

He was conflicted. He really wanted to tell her the real reason he was trying to convince her, but he wasn't sure that he was willing to take the risk. She seemed to be dead-set against friends dating each other. He decided to lie. "I'm not trying to convince you about anything. I'm just pointing out the advantages since you seem to be focusing only on the disadvantages."

She was disappointed by his answer, but decided not to let her disappointment show. "I guess the only thing we can do here is agree to disagree."

"Yeah, I guess so." He replied sadly. Looking around and saw they didn't have anything to drink. "I'm getting up for a beer. Want one?"

Lucy thought about it. She wasn't on at the hospital until noon, so a beer would be acceptable. Besides, after this conversation, a beer sounded nice. "Sure. Thanks."

As he was getting the beers from the refrigerator, he thought about Lucy's last question. His feelings for her were only getting stronger, but now he realized that the probability of actually being able to pursue a relationship with Lucy was very low. He almost would have a better chance at getting hit by lightening. Maybe a relationship with her just wasn't meant to be and he should just forget about it completely. He quickly went back out to the living room and placed her beer in front of her on the coffee table. He decided to change the topic to something else. "So how is your psych rotation going?"

She smiled, thankful that he changed the topic. "It's going well. I really like it a lot."

"Well I can't wait to get back to the ER." He smiled. "Among other things, I miss working with you."

"It is nice working in the same department, and I miss the people. Dr. Lewis lets me do more things on my own. Dr. Meyers doesn't seem to trust me enough to leave me alone very often." She laughed.

"I'm sure it's nothing personal." He reassured her.

"Probably not. I mean it's totally different than working in the ER."

"Good different or bad different?"

She thought about it for a moment before answering his question. "I'm not quite sure yet."


	15. Happy New Year

We Used To Be Friends  
Chapter Fifteen

**A/N: I apologize for the long delay in updating this story. Real life got in the way and then I was arguing with myself about which direction to take this story. After debating the pros and cons, I've finally committedmyself to this storyline.By the way, this chapter contains some scenes that might not be suitable for everyone. I don't think it's too graphic, but this chapter does include a brief sexual assult scene.**

A few months later

Carter slid the dark blue sweater that Lucy had given him for Christmas over his head and looked at the reflection in the mirror. It was New Year's Eve, and he had been lucky enough to have the night off from work. So he was taking his girlfriend out to dinner. A couple of weeks ago he had started going out with the new nurse at County, Abby Lockhart. She was funny, smart, and pretty; she wasn't Lucy, but she was still a lot of fun. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Lucy out of his mind. He let his mind travel back to a conversation he had with Lucy a few weeks ago.

"_So what do you think about the new nurse at County?" Carter asked, passing a beer over to Lucy as he sat down in front of the TV. _

_Lucy sat her plate of pizza down on the coffee table before reaching for the beer. "Abby? She seems nice." _

"_Yeah, she does." Carter replied with a nod. He had been trying to figure out if Lucy had any type of romantic feelings for him, but so far he wasn't having any luck. Either she was doing a good job of hiding it from him, or else she didn't care about him like that. Yesterday he had a good idea of how to scope out her feelings. He was going to ask her opinion about whether he should ask Abby out on a date and gauge her reaction. "I think I might ask her out on a date. What do you think?" _

_Lucy had been taking a drink of her beer and had to keep herself from spitting out the beer when she heard Carter's announcement. Carter going a date with Abby? She didn't want that to happen. For a moment, she thought about telling Carter how she felt about him. Then a thought popped into her head. What if Carter really did like Abby and wanted to date her? If Lucy told him about her feelings, would it even matter? It would probably only make the situation really uncomfortable. So she stayed quiet about her feelings and tried to think of a response to Carter's question. "Well, I don't know. I think that if you want to date her, then you should go for it."_

_That wasn't the answer or reaction that he was expecting or hoping for. At that moment, he came to the realization that he might as well go ahead and try to date Abby. A relationship with Lucy didn't seem to be in his future. "I think I'll go ahead and ask her out then."_

Lucy hadn't given him any real reason to believe that she would be interested in him as anything other than a friend, so he had to move on. Right? As much as he wanted to, he couldn't spend the rest of his life waiting for her to realize that he was in love with her. That's how he justified moving on with Abby. A part of him felt like he was using Abby by going out with her while being in love with Lucy. But he still continued to date her anyway because he had a good time when he was with Abby. He grabbed his wallet and placed it in his bad pocket before going out into the living room. He saw Lucy curled up on the couch with a bowl of popcorn and a blanket thrown on her. "Hey, what are you watching?"

Lucy looked over at him and noticed that he was wearing the sweater that she had given him last week for Christmas. That almost made her smile until she realized that he was wearing it for a date that he had with Abby. "I don't know. There's some kind of movie marathon on the Classic Movie channel."

"So you're just going to spend New Year's Eve curled up on the couch?" He asked. "That doesn't sound like a very good way to spend tonight."

"Well not all of us are lucky enough to have dates tonight." Lucy spat out angrily. As soon as the words came out, she regretted saying them. For the past few weeks, she had been so careful not to reveal her true feelings about Carter dating Abby. The last thing she wanted was for Carter to know how much it was upsetting her to seem him with another woman.

He was surprised by her sudden hostile attitude. "Sorry Luce." He looked at his watch and realized that if he didn't leave now, he would be late. "Look, I need to go. I'll see you later. Happy New Year."

"Yeah, Happy New Year Carter." She replied sullenly after he left. These past few weeks were hard for her. Watching him go out on dates and return in the early morning hours was hard, and on more than one occasion she considered throwing caution to the wind and telling him that she loved him. But she always lost her courage before the words had a chance to escape her mouth. So now she was here, alone on New Year's Eve, and ringing in the New Year watching chick flicks. When the phone rang, Lucy thought about letting the machine get it, but changed her mind on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey Lucy! What are you doing?" Shelby asked in a very upbeat tone.

"Watching movies." Lucy replied.

"On New Year's Eve? I don't think so. You're coming to a party with me and Dave." Shelby told her friend. Lately she had been worried about Lucy. She knew that Carter was dating Abby and that Lucy would no doubtably be upset about that.

"I don't feel like going to a party tonight."

"Well too bad. You need to go to this party with us. I insist."

"No thanks Shelby. I know what you're doing, but it's not necessary. I'm fine." Lucy knew that Shelby was worried about her now that Carter was dating Abby.

"Please?" Shelby begged. "I promise you'll have fun!"

"No. I'm already having fun. I'm very happy staying in tonight." Lucy lied.

"No you're not." Shelby called her out on the obvious lie. "Lucy, you know I won't give up until you agree to come. Just say yes now and quit wasting valuable time!"

Lucy sighed. She knew that Shelby was right. Shelby wouldn't stop bugging her about this until she agreed to just go with them. "Ok. Fine. I give up."

Shelby smiled. "Great! We'll be by to pick you up in a half hour."

"Ok." Lucy put down the phone and sighed again. She appreciated that Shelby wanted to help her, but she didn't really want to go to a party tonight. Unfortunately, it didn't look like she had much of a choice. So she turned off the TV and started thinking about what to wear.

* * *

Carter smiled when Abby opened her door. "You look great." 

Abby smiled, accepting the compliment. "Thanks."

"Are you ready?" He looked at his watch. "Our dinner reservation is in twenty minutes."

"Yeah. Just let me get my coat and purse." She disappeared inside her apartment for a few seconds before coming back out with her coat on and her purse in her left hand. "I'm ready."

He smiled again and led her downstairs to his jeep.

* * *

"So where is this party?" Lucy asked as she sat in the backseat of Dave's car. 

"It's not too far away. It's being hosted by Kurt, one of the X-Ray technicians at the hospital." Dave replied.

"Oh, ok." Lucy nodded. She hated to admit it, but she felt like a third wheel being around Dave and Shelby. They were just so damn happy, and while she was happy for them, she couldn't help but be a little jealous.

* * *

A couple of hours later 

"I think I'm going to go home." Lucy told Dave and Shelby.

"What? Why? It's not even Midnight yet." Shelby questioned.

"Look, I appreciate the fact that you two allowed me to be a third wheel tonight, but I'm not really having a very good time." Lucy explained.

"Why don't you wait until after Midnight and then we can drive you home?" Dave offered. "Midnight is only about twenty minutes away."

"That's nice of you guys, but no. I'll be fine. I'll just take the El back home." Lucy replied.

"Are you sure?" Shelby asked, not sure if she should let Lucy go home alone.

"I'm positive. I'll be fine." Lucy smiled.

"Ok." Shelby relented and gave her a hug. "Happy New Year Lucy."

"Yeah, Happy New Year." Dave echoed, also giving her a hug.

"Happy New Year you guys. Bye." She turned to leave the party.

"Be careful!" Shelby yelled after her.

"Ok!" Lucy yelled back. She wasn't sure why Shelby was so worried about her going home alone. She rode on the El and walked home alone all the time when she had the late shift at the hospital.

* * *

"Tonight was a lot of fun." Abby smiled as they walked up the steps to her apartment. 

"Yeah, it was." Carter agreed. "You aren't upset that we didn't stay for the countdown, are you?" They had left the restaurant before Midnight because the place was getting crowded and too noisy.

"No, I don't mind that at all. So do you want to come inside? We can have our own private New Year's celebration." Abby asked as they stood in the doorway of her apartment. She was hoping that he would say yes.

He thought about it for a moment, knowing that if he went inside, they would end up having sex. He leaned in and kissed her. "Yeah, let's go inside."

* * *

Lucy walked down the street, pulling her coat closer to her body in hopes that she wouldn't be so cold. If she had realized that she would be walking home, she would have worn a dress that went down to her ankles instead of the knee-length one she had chosen. At least she was only a block away from her apartment. The streets were empty; she figured that most people were still inside waiting to celebrate the New Year. What was the big deal about the New Year anyway? It's just another day. So what if it signals the beginning of a new year? She chuckled, realizing that her bad mood could probably be attributed to the fact that she just being bitter about not being with Carter. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that she shouldn't put her life on hold just because Carter was with someone else. Why should she be miserable and pining after him? There are plenty of other guys in the world, and she decided that her New Year's resolution this year would be to find another guy. She would make a consorted effort to find someone just as wonderful as Carter. Suddenly she felt someone's gloved hand cover her mouth and drag her into a nearby alley. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn't heard the guy who was following her. The guy kept his hand covering her mouth and pushed her up against the wall. 

"If you scream or make any noise at all, I will kill you." He whispered into her ear. "Do you understand?"

Tears were filling Lucy's eyes as she realized what he wanted from her, but she felt powerless to stop him. All she could do was nod her head.

"I'm glad you understand. I'd hate to have to kill a pretty girl like you." He was silent the rest of the time until he was done. "Happy New Year." He told her before leaving her lying in the alley.

* * *

"That was a good way to ring in the New Year." Carter replied, laying back against a pillow and trying to catch his breath. 

Abby put her head on his chest and scooted over towards him. "I agree. That's the best New Year's celebration I've ever had."

* * *

Lucy wasn't sure how long she stayed there in the alley before moving, but she felt like she had stayed in the alley for hours. It couldn't have been hours though because her watch told her that it was 12:45. She slowly stood up, using the wall as a support. Bracing herself against the wall, she slowly made her way out of the alley and walked the one block over to her apartment. She pulled out her keys as she approached her apartment door, fumbling with them and dropping them. Watching them fall, she sank down to the ground, silently willing herself not to cry in the hallway. She didn't want to fall apart, though she knew that it was only a matter of time before she broke down. But she didn't want to do that in the hallway. She picked up the keys and somehow, through her tear-filled eyes, managed to use them to open her apartment. She threw her purse and the keys on the table near the door and immediately locked the door behind her as she entered the apartment. Next, she slowly removed her coat and placed it on the floor. Then she leaned against the door, trying to figure out what to do now. She knew that she should go to the hospital and checked out. She knew all of the procedures that the hospital and the police would go through in a case like this and she knew that it was important to report things like this, but she didn't want to go to the hospital. She just wanted to make it go away. Carter's jeep wasn't outside, so she knew that he wasn't home. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. Part of her was hoping that he would be here when she got home. He would be able to help her do the right thing and go to the hospital. But she was also glad that he wasn't here. If he wasn't here right now, she could hide this. She could make it go away by not mentioning it to anyone. She could act as if nothing happened. She could completely wipe this from history and by pretending that it never happened, nothing would change. No one would look at her with pity or treat her like she was damaged goods. She could still be the same Lucy that she was before it happened. Deciding that she wouldn't speak about what happened to anyone, she made her way into her bathroom and turned on the shower water. A voice inside her head was telling her that water would only wash off the evidence and she needed to go to the hospital instead; however, that voice was not the one that Lucy chose to listen to. She took off her high heels, and then she made sure the water wasn't too cold and, still wearing her dress, she got into the shower. After scrubbing her body feverishly, she sat down in the shower with her knees up to her chest and started to sob. 


	16. Trying To Be Normal

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Sixteen

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! I'm so glad to know that people are still enjoying my story. So thanks!**

Sleep did not come for Lucy that night. After spending a considerable amount of time in the shower, she finally changed into sweats and curled up into a ball on top of her bed. She allowed herself to cry freely, promising herself that the crying would stop once morning came. Once morning came, she planned on burying this secret down deep inside and never letting it see the light of day. She passed a mirror, stopping briefly to look at the reflection staring back at her. She carefully inspected the person reflected in the mirror, trying to find the familiar person that she had been seeing in her mirror for her entire life. Now it seemed that familiar person was gone forever. Returned in her place was a stranger Lucy failed to recognize. Last night that man took something away from her, something that was vital to her identity and her soul. Now that it was gone, who was this person staring at her in the mirror? She closed her eyes, wanting to contemplate this and keep herself from falling apart again. It was about seven in the morning when she had finally pulled herself together enough to leave her room. She walked out to the kitchen and started making coffee. While the coffee was being made, she sat down at the small table in the kitchen and put her head in her hands. When she closed her eyes, the only thing she saw was the attack. She was transported back to that moment. Feeling a hand on her shoulder, she jumped up, ready to attack.

"Whoa! Sorry Luce. Didn't mean to scare you. It's just me." Carter apologized, noting how worn out she looked.

Lucy had her fists up and ready if she had needed to fight, but lowered her hands when she realized that it was just Carter. Feeling silly, and not wanting to arouse his suspicions, she quickly pasted a fake smile on her face. "Sorry about that. You just caught me off guard."

"I can see that." Carter nodded. Something wasn't right about her. She was jumpy and preoccupied. But there was also something else about her that seemed different. He wished that he could figure it out, but he couldn't. "You look tired. How long did you stay up for that movie marathon?"

"Movie marathon?" Lucy questioned.

"Yeah, that movie marathon you were watching when I left." He reminded her. "How late did you stay up?"

"Oh, that movie marathon." She chuckled. That seemed like a lifetime ago. It was hard for her to believe that it had only happened last night.

He waited another moment for her to answer, but then he realized that she wasn't planning on answering. "Lucy, are you ok?"

"Of course I am! I'm fine!" She replied enthusiastically. Then she realized maybe she had said that with too much conviction.

"You don't seem fine." He pointed out.

"I'm just tired." She replied. It wasn't a complete lie. She was tired.

"Ok." He replied, not buying her story. Something was going on with her, and he was determined to find out what it was.

"Want some coffee?" She asked, walking past him to the coffee, which had finished brewing.

"Sure." He replied, watching her carefully. "Thanks." There was definitely something wrong with her.

She handed a cup to him and then poured a cup for herself. "I've got to get ready for work." Giving him a small smile, she left the kitchen and headed back to her room. Once inside, she closed the door and slid down to the ground. She wasn't doing a very good job of hiding what happened, and if she wasn't careful, she would end up blurting it out to the next person who asked her if she was ok. Slowly picking herself up from the floor, she took a drink if her coffee. As she went to her closet to pick out clothes, she silently promised herself that she wouldn't think about what happened or act differently while at work.

* * *

A few hours later, Carter was coming into the hospital to start his shift. He had entered the lounge to hang his coat in his locker, and found Dave sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. "Hey Dave." He greeted, opening his locker. 

"Hey." Dave replied, not moving his eyes from the sports page.

Carter took this as an opportunity to see if Dave had noticed anything about Lucy. "Hey Dave, have you seen Lucy today?"

"Yeah. Why?" Dave asked, still not taking his eyes off of the sports page.

"She was acting really weird this morning. When I got home from Abby's, she was jumpy and…"

Dave finally looked up at Carter. "Wait. Did you just say what I think you just said? You and Abby?"

"Yeah, we did, but don't spread it around the hospital." Carter asked. The last thing he wanted right now was having the nurses gossip about him and Abby. "But about Lucy. Have you noticed if she's acting a little strange?"

Dave smiled. "She's Lucy, so she's always a little strange. But what do you mean? She seems fine to me."

"There's something going on with her." Carter stated.

"She was a little down last night, but that was probably just because it was New Year's Eve and Shelby dragged her along to this party we went to."

"Lucy went with you to a party?" Carter asked, surprised by this revelation.

"Yeah. She didn't tell you?" Dave asked, figuring that Lucy would have said something to him.

"No." Carter shook his head.

"Oh. Well, Shelby thought that Lucy might be lonely last night and dragged her along. But Lucy didn't have a good time and left before Midnight." He explained.

"So then why was she acting so weird this morning?" Carter asked himself out-loud.

"Maybe because you spent the night with Abby last night." Dave hypothesized.

"Why would that upset her?" Carter asked.

"Did you tell her that you were spending the night with Abby? Maybe she was worried about you." Dave decided to leave out the part about Lucy probably being extremely jealous and hurt about Carter sleeping with someone else. It wasn't like Carter would believe him if he told him about Lucy's feelings anyway.

"Maybe." Carter replied. "I guess I'll just talk to her about it later. Thanks." He wasn't entirely convinced that Lucy was just worried about him last night. Something else was bothering him, but she didn't seem to want him to know what it was. Maybe she would tell him about it when she was ready.

* * *

Lucy was on her way to the admit desk to pick up another chart when Dave appeared beside her in the hallway. 

"Hey Lucy." He greeted with a smile.

"Hi Dave." Lucy replied, managing to meet his smile with one of her own.

"Look, I wanted to apologize for Shelby dragging you to that party last night. I know you didn't have any fun, but she meant well."

"I know." Lucy nodded. She hoped that this conversation would be about something else other than last night. Last night was the last thing she ever wanted to talk about. "Anything else? 'Cause I need to see some more patients."

Dave was a little surprised by Lucy's abruptness. She wasn't being rude, but she wasn't acting normal. Maybe Carter was right. Maybe something was bothering her. "Actually, I just wanted to see if you wanted to talk about this whole thing with Carter and Abby."

She knew what he was talking about. Carter hadn't gotten home until early morning, so there was a very good chance that he slept with Abby. At this point, her non-relationship with Carter was the last of her worries. Right now she was too worn out emotionally to even care about the fact that Carter was with Abby. "I'm fine Dave. But thanks." She knew that she had to get out of this conversation before she lost her cool. Luckily for her, Dave was called over to help with an oncoming trauma.

* * *

As soon as Lucy's shift was over, she hurried home, avoiding the alley where the incident occurred. When she arrived back at her apartment, she quickly locked the door and went into the kitchen to get a bottle of water. She hadn't eaten all day and knew that she should try to eat something, but the thought of food made her sick to her stomach. So she took the bottle of water and retreated back to the calm safety of her room. Once inside, she placed the water on the nightstand and laid down on her bed. Except for this morning with Carter, she had done a good job of pretending everything was fine. Maybe this wasn't going to be as hard as she thought. All she had to do was continue to act as if nothing was wrong and then eventually she would believe it herself. Everything would turn back to normal and she could forget that the ugly experience ever even happened. That thought made her smile. Forgetting that experience was the one thing she wanted most in the world. A soft knocking on her door brought her out of her reverie. 

"Luce? Are you in there?" Carter asked, softly knocking again. He was hoping that she wasn't asleep. He was still worried about her and wanted to make sure that she was ok.

Lucy opened the door just wide enough so that she could fit her face in the open space. "Was is it Carter?"

"Are you ok?" He asked while letting the concern he held for her come through in his voice.

There was something in his voice that made Lucy reconsider her previous plan of keeping this a secret. She was tempted to just tell him what happened so that he could help her, and even debated with herself about telling him. But she didn't think that he could help her. Besides that, he also had Abby now. Letting herself be a basket case and depending on Carter to pull her back from oblivion wouldn't be fair to him or to Abby. No, she resolved to keep this a secret and keep her previous plan. She put a smile back on her face and hoped that it didn't look like a fake smile. "I'm fine. Why do you think something is wrong with me?"

"You've been acting weird." He replied, deciding to test Dave's theory that she was acting weird because he spent the night with Abby. "You know, we still haven't talked about the fact that I spent the night with Abby last night."

"We don't need to." Lucy shook her head. "That's between you and Abby."

"I know, but I just don't want there to be any weirdness between us about this." He clarified.

"There isn't. Don't worry so much." Lucy reassured him, even though she knew that there would be a lot of weirdness between them because of his relationship with Abby.

He smiled, not completely believing her. "Ok then. I haven't have dinner yet. Do you want to order some Chinese food and watch some TV with me?"

She shook her head. "I'm not really hungry. I was just going to go to bed early tonight."

He looked at his watch. "Luce, it's only eight 'o'clock."

She hadn't looked at the time when she got home. "Oh." She bit her lip. "Well, like I said, I'm tired."

"I bet. Dave told me that you went to a party last night."

"Yeah." She replied, not wanting to talk about that night. "I did."

"Did you have any fun?" He asked.

Inside she was screaming, but she held on to her calm, outside demeanor. "Not really. The party wasn't very good. An X-Ray technician hosted it. I don't even remember his name, but I wish Shelby hadn't dragged me to that party."

"The party was that bad?" He asked his curiosity peaked at her last statement.

"I just would have had more fun staying here." She replied, wishing that they could stop talking about this subject. Talking about that night was not going to help her force the memories out of her head.

He realized that he wasn't going to be able to coax her problem out of her tonight. "Oh, ok. Well, are you sure that you don't want to join me?"

"I'm sure, but thanks." Lucy nodded.

"Ok. Good night Lucy." He replied, leaving her doorway and going back to the living room.

"Good night Carter." She replied, closing her door. Sighing deeply, she walked back to her bed and crawled under the covers.


	17. The Nightmare Continues

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Seventeen

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who is reviewing this story. Hope you enjoy this chapter and I apologize now for the cliffhanger that's at the end of the chapter.**

Weeks Later

**_Each day I say that today  
Won't be like yesterday  
But it stays this way  
Today and every day I pray  
That today will feel a different way  
But it stays this way_**

_The brick wall was cold and unwilling to yield when she was forcibly pushed into it. Her exposed skin clashed with the rough exterior of the wall and she was sure that it hurt, or at least it would have hurt if she weren't already numb. Her body seemed ready to shut down and she let it. She only wished her mind would give up too. Scrambled thoughts weaved their way around her mind as she desperately attempted to think about anything except what was going on. Flashes of light and movement bombarded her eyes until finally she couldn't take it anymore._

"No!" Lucy screamed as her eyes jerked open and searched her surroundings. She wasn't back in that alley; she was sitting in her bed. She was safe in her room. It wasn't happening again; it was just another nightmare. It had been almost six weeks since the attack, and she was almost getting used to the nightly terrors that haunted her. After wiping the sweat from her forehead, she silently thanked God that Carter had the night shift and wasn't here to witness another of her nightmares. He was already getting suspicious, and the last thing she needed was to peak his curiosity again. Some nights she woke up without screaming, but then there were nights like this that the nightmare was so real she couldn't help but scream. Her breathing had gone back to normal again, and she laid her head back on the pillow. Tightly pulling the covers up to her neck, she took a couple of calming breaths in hopes of relaxing her frazzled nerves. Calming breaths never seemed to help her, but she kept trying anyway. As she laid there in the dark, she thought back upon the past six weeks. After the first week had passed, she found out that it wasn't going to be easy to forget what happened to her. She quickly gave up on trying to forget and focused her attention on trying to move on; however, moving on wasn't easy either. She was very cautious and, even though Carter, Dave, and Shelby were all suspicious, none of them had any clue what was going on with her—and that's just the way she wanted it to be. Although she realized that they cared about her and would want to help her, she didn't know what they would be able to do for her. None of them had gone through this so what use could they be to her? As she pondered this, she recognized the now familiar rumbling of her stomach. She jumped out of bed and ran into the bathroom, managing to put the toilet seat up before she proceeded to vomit for the sixth time in twenty-four hours. After she was done, she stood up and rinsed out her mouth with some mouthwash to get rid of the bad aftertaste. When she had gotten sick earlier at the hospital, she told Susan that it must have been from some bad leftovers she ate, but that was impossible. She hadn't eaten any leftovers in a long time in fact she wasn't eating much at all. She just wasn't hungry most of the time. Something else was causing her illness and she prayed that she was wrong, even though somehow she knew she wasn't. Sighing, she climbed back into her bed and tried to go back to sleep.

* * *

Carter entered the apartment and crashed on the couch. After having to deal with seven traumas, he was exhausted. But his thoughts ran back to Lucy, like they usually did. He was even more worried about her now. She still wouldn't open up to him about what was bothering her, even though it was obvious to him and everyone else that she wasn't acting like herself. Anytime he would ask her, they would end up getting into an argument and she still wouldn't open up to him. At first he thought that maybe Dave was right. Maybe Lucy was just upset about his new relationship with Abby. But as time went on, he rejected that theory because it didn't make sense. Lucy was having nightmares and isolating herself. But she wasn't just withdrawing from him. She was also withdrawing from Shelby and Dave, and she rarely wanted to leave the apartment. He rarely ever saw her eat anything, and she loved to go to her room and sleep. The signs of depression were abundant, while the cause remained a mystery to him. He wasn't sure how to help her anymore, or even if he could help her. Shaking his head and sighing, he got up from the couch and headed to his room to get some sleep.

* * *

Later that day, Lucy walked up to the admit desk, looking for another patient. But she found Shelby standing there talking to Dave. For a moment, she thought that she could turn around without them noticing her, but she was wrong. 

"Lucy! Hi!" Shelby called out to her. She hadn't talked to Lucy in a few days, and hadn't seen her in over a week. That was very unusual because they used to talk everyday. But Lucy had become distant, and she wasn't sure how to help her friend.

"Hi." Lucy replied, giving them a small smile. "What's up?"

"Not much." Shelby replied. "I was trying to convince Dave to go out to a late lunch with me, but…"

Dave interrupted. "But Weaver has been on my case all day today for some reason and I don't want to give her another reason to yell at me."

Shelby turned back to Lucy. "So would you like to go to lunch with me? We haven't had a chance to talk much lately."

Lucy wasn't sure what to say. She wanted to go spend time with Shelby, but not if she was going to insist on trying to pry information out of her. Besides that, she wasn't sure that she would be able to hold down food. "I don't know. It's rather busy today…"

"I think we can handle it for awhile. You haven't taken any breaks today." Dave reminded her.

She sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to be able to get out of this one when there were two people lobbying against her. "Ok. Just let me get my coat." She moved away from them and headed into the lounge.

"Maybe you can get her to talk to you. Carter says he's not having any luck getting her to open up." Dave told Shelby once Lucy was out of earshot.

"I doubt it. If she won't talk to Carter, then she probably won't talk to me." Shelby replied. "I just don't understand what's happening to her. She's changing, and it's not the good kind of change. Everyday I feel her pull farther away."

Dave gave her a hug as a sign of comfort. "I know, and I'm sorry. I wish I had the answers."

Shelby pulled out of the hug and smiled sadly. "So do I."

* * *

Carter finished washing the dishes and looked around the apartment. Neither Lucy nor him had cleaned in a while, and it showed. Since this was his day off and Abby was working, he decided that he would spend the day cleaning up the apartment a little. Maybe that would make Lucy smile and not be annoyed with him for once. He remembered that Lucy kept the vacuum cleaner in her closet, so he walked into her room and opened the closet doors. When he reached inside to pull out the vacuum, another item came out of the closet. He bent down to pick it up so that he could put it back, but stopped when he saw what it was. It was one of Lucy's black dresses, but it was all torn. It looked like someone had been trying to rip it apart. Holding it up, he carefully examined it. Finding this dress was troubling to him, and he wondered if he held answers to Lucy's secrets. His mind didn't want to travel down that road, but he began to wonder if Lucy was attacked. It would definitely explain a lot of her behavior, but it couldn't be true. Could it? He folded the dress back up and returned both it and the vacuum to where he had found them. He didn't feel like cleaning anymore.

* * *

"So what have you been up to?" Shelby asked Lucy as they sat in one of the booths at Doc Magoo's. "I haven't seen you much lately." 

"I've just been busy doing some things." Lucy lied. "But, I'm sure you're busy too."

"Yeah, but you just seem to be avoiding me." Shelby replied.

"I'm not avoiding you." Lucy shook her head, denying Shelby's accusation even though it was the truth. She was trying to avoid everyone, including and especially Carter.

"Ok." Shelby relented. "You're not avoiding me. You're just so busy doing nothing that you can't pick up the phone and call your best friend." She was starting to get angry now. If being a kind, compassionate friend wasn't going to make Lucy confide in her, perhaps being mean would get her to spill her secrets.

"That's unfair!" Lucy objected. "You don't know what I'm…" She stopped mid-sentence, realizing what Shelby was doing. Mentally, she chastised herself for almost falling for the trap Shelby laid out. She was about ready to let Shelby know why she was avoiding her, and it almost worked. "Nice try, but it won't work."

"What won't work?" Shelby asked innocently.

"You were trying to trick me. You've been doing that ever since the fifth grade. Did you really think I'd fall for it again?"

Shelby chuckled. "You almost did."

"Almost doesn't count." Lucy informed her friend. "Can we please change the subject?"

"Let me say one thing first." Shelby replied. "I don't know what's going on with you, or why you are so adamantly refusing to let anyone in right now. But you can't hide out forever. Whatever you're hiding will come out eventually, and Carter, Dave and I will right there next to you, ready to help you because we're your friends. All you need to do is come out of that dark cloud you're living in."

Lucy wasn't sure how to respond to that. Part of her wanted to confess everything to Shelby, but something stopped her. Maybe it was that fact that if she told Shelby what happened, then it would make it real. So far she had managed to escape saying the 'r' word, and she would like to keep it that way. "So what are you having to eat?" She asked, changing the subject to something more neutral.

* * *

Carter looked over at the door from the couch when Lucy arrived home from work. "Hey." He greeted, hoping that she wasn't in a horrible mood. 

"Hi." She greeted back, adding a small smile.

"How was your day?" He asked.

"It was ok." Lucy shrugged. "And yours?"

"It was ok too." Carter replied, realizing that it had become incredibly hard for them to talk to each other. In the past, it had been easy to talk to each other, but those days were gone. "Your favorite movie is on. Wanna watch it together?"

It was a tempting offer, but she had to decline. She had other, more important things to do right now. "Thanks, but I'll pass. I have some things to take care of."

"Ok." He nodded. He would have liked it if she would have stayed and spent some time with him, but instead she had rushed off to her room. He wondered what she was doing.

* * *

Lucy impatiently tapped her foot while she waited for the five minutes to expire. She had "borrowed" one of the test kits from the supply closet at the hospital. After checking her watch for what seemed like the millionth time, she was pleased to find out that the five minutes was over. She could now look at the results. But as she neared the test strip, she began to be afraid. What if it was positive? What was she going to do then? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at the test strip that would determine her fate. 

_Song Lyric: "Weight of the World" By: Alana Davis_


	18. Breaking Point

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Eighteen

**A/N: I'd just like to give out thanks to my loyal readers and reviewers! So...thanks! Enjoy!**

_Feeling like the world is closing away  
Feeling like my dreams will never come to be  
I keep on slipping deeper into myself  
And I'm scared...so scared_

Lucy took a long look at herself in her full-length mirror, thinking about last night.

_She walked up to the sink counter to check the test strip. If it was positive, her whole life would be changed. If it was negative, she could go on with her life like nothing happened. Deep inside, she was wishing for the strip to be negative, even though she was sure that not wanting a baby probably made her a horrible person. But she couldn't help what she felt. She definitely wasn't ready for a child. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at the strip. "Shit." She whispered, closing her eyes. She knew it was a long shot, but maybe when she opened her eyes she would see that the strip was actually negative. Opening her eyes again, she realized that the results hadn't changed. She was pregnant._

Lucy shook off the thoughts of last night and continued looking into the mirror, unconsciously placing her hands on her now-flat stomach. Her mind had been thinking about the situation she was in all night and she came to only one conclusion. She was really stupid. She shouldn't have gone to that party; she shouldn't have let Shelby drag her to that damn party. She didn't want to go; she just wanted to spend the night alone and watching movies, but instead she went to that party. She also shouldn't have left the party alone. That was stupid. It was stupid to think that it would be safe to walk home alone at night like that. She should've just waited the damn fifteen minutes until Midnight when Dave and Shelby could have driven her home. But no, she had to go alone. She should've fought harder, or at all. Thinking back to that night, she realized that she hardly even put up much of a fight. But she should have. She should have made him stop, or maybe she could have run away. Instead, she passively let it happen. Then she decided to pretend it didn't happen. That was beyond stupid. She could and should have prevented this pregnancy. She should have gotten emergency contraception from the hospital or even from a clinic. But of course she didn't because she was too busy being stupid and trying to pretend it never happened. Now she had proof that it had happened. She was now going to have a walking, talking, living reminder that it happened. How could she have let this happen to her? The rage that had been slowly and quietly burning within her for weeks finally reached its' breaking point. Spying her hairbrush on her bed, she picked it up and hurled it across the room at the mirror. "You're so stupid!" She yelled at her reflection as she threw it. Then she picked up books that were on her nightstand. "Why are you so stupid?" She yelled before throwing the books at the mirror. The hairbrush hadn't broken the mirror, but the books did. The books shattered the glass mirror into shards that now littered the carpet. "So stupid." She whispered, falling to the floor. She placed her head on the edge of the bed and started to cry.

Carter had been eating breakfast in the living room when he heard loud crashing noises and shouting coming from Lucy's room. Concerned, he hurried over to her door and knocked. When he didn't get a response, he slowly opened the door and found Lucy sobbing on the floor. Looking around to determine the cause of the crashing noises, he found her smashed mirror. "Lucy? What happened? Are you ok?" He sat down next to her, wondering if she even comprehended that he was with her. Gently placing his hand on her shoulder, he repeated his questions. "Luce, what happened? What's wrong?"

Lucy heard Carter's voice and turned to look at him. Through her watery eyes, she could tell that he was concerned about her. She couldn't blame him because now she was getting concerned about herself too. She threw her arms around him and started crying even harder on his shoulder.

He was surprised by her action. For the past few weeks, she had barely wanted to be in the same room with him and now she was clinging on to him like a life preserver in the middle of the ocean. He wrapped his arms around her and gently stroked her hair, planning his movements carefully so that he didn't scare her away. "Shh, Luce. It's ok. Whatever it is, it's gonna be ok." He whispered into her ear.

She usually believed him when he said everything would be ok, but this time she wasn't sure she could believe him. Everything was so messed up right now. She finally realized that she couldn't keep going on like this. She felt like everything she loved was slowly slipping away from her, and she couldn't even remember the last time she had genuinely smiled or laughed. Everything in her life was falling apart. She was falling apart and, if she didn't do something about it, soon there would be no good left in her life.

He stopped stroking her hair and started rubbing circles into her back in hopes of calming her down. Her intense sobbing would only make her more upset, and if he was going to get her to talk to him he needed her to be calmer.

She noticed that he was rubbing small circles into her back and almost laughed, despite her sobs. He had always known how to get her to feel better. Her mind wanted to wander back into the past to another time when Carter had comforted her, and she decided to let it.

_A seven-year old Lucy and Carter rode their bikes around thee neighborhood, laughing and joking with each other. "Hey, wanna race to the end of the street?" Carter asked with a grin. "I bet I could beat you."_

_Lucy, never one to back down from a challenge, accepted his offer. "You're on. Let's do it."_

_They both stopped their bikes and lined them up so that no one would have an advantage over the other. "Ok. We'll go at the count of three. One…two…three!" Carter raced off as soon as he said three, leaving Lucy behind._

_Lucy pedaled faster, trying to catch up with Carter, but was stopped when she felt herself lose control of her bike. Before she could stop, she was sprawled out on the street with her bike lying on top of her._

_Carter reached the end of the street, but noticed that Lucy was nowhere around. Knowing that she should have been right behind him, he raced down the street to find her still laying on the ground with her bike on top of her. "What happened?" He asked as he moved the bike and helped her get back on her feet._

_"I don't know." She shook her head. "I think maybe a rock got stuck in my bike."_

_"Are you ok?" He asked._

_She looked down at the arm that had gotten pinned against the ground when she fell. It was bloody, and looked horrible. While she could stand watching others bleed, she couldn't stand watching her own blood. "My arm." She didn't want to start crying in front of Carter, but she knew that she was really close to crying._

_He could tell that she was trying not to cry in front of him, although he didn't understand why she should feel uncomfortable about crying in front of him. They had seen each other cry dozens of times. He also knew that she hated seeing herself bleed. He moved closer to her and started rubbing small circles on her back to comfort her. "It will be ok, but we should go back to your house and have your mom look at it."_

_Lucy looked over at him and gave him a small smile. She was lucky to have someone like him as her best friend. "Yeah, let's go."_

If only things were still that simple. After she fell on her bike, she just needed a couple of band-aids. No amount of band-aids was going to help her this time. She could feel herself relax more though as he continued rubbing her back.

He could tell that rubbing her back was working and smiled. It had always worked in the past and he was glad that he could do something to help her. He figured that this was as good of a time as any to start asking a few questions. He decided to start with the easier ones first. "What happened to the mirror?"

"Are you blind? It's obvious I smashed it." Lucy replied softly, a bit of sarcasm gracing her voice. She was starting to calm down and stop crying, but she didn't want to leave the safety of Carter's arms. Something about his embrace made her feel protected and safe.

He chuckled softly noting that at least her sense of humor wasn't gone. "Well I know it's obvious that you smashed it, but why did you smash it?"

She thought for a moment that maybe she could tell him the whole story. Maybe it was time to reveal what happened, but she shook that thought from her head. "It was a stupid mirror that made me look fat." Her lie sounded believable to her, but she doubted Carter would believe it.

"Luce, what's the real reason? You wouldn't get that upset about a mirror. Something's been bothering you for a long time now, but you won't let anyone help you. Why won't you let me in? I can help you. Whatever it is, I can help you."

Lucy took a deep breath and reluctantly pulled away from him. She leaned back against the bed and pulled her knees up to her chest. "You can't help me with this." She said softly.

Her response was said so softly that he almost didn't hear her. But he did, and decided to choose his next words carefully. He was so close to getting her to spill what happened; he was certain of that. But he was also certain that if he made her too mad at him right now, he would blow his chance and she probably would never tell him what was bothering her. So he scooted over and also leaned up against the bed. They sat there in silence for a few minutes as he tried to think of what to say next. He looked over at Lucy, who was deep in thought and concentrating heavily on the carpet. "Will you at least consider telling me what's going on? It doesn't even have to be me. It could be Shelby, Dave, or even a perfect stranger. Just consider letting someone help, please? We're all worried about you and we just want to help you. You never want to leave the apartment, you never want to eat, you're distracted, you have nightmares, and I know that you cry late at night when you think I'm asleep. Something is bothering you and you can't hold it in forever or else it's going to destroy you. It's already destroying you, and it hurts me to see you like this." He paused, taking a moment to collect his thoughts. "You've always been one of the happiest, vibrant people I've ever known, always ready to give a smile or to laugh at my horribly unfunny jokes. Lately though, I've sat back and watched you basically become this zombie. Honestly I don't think you want to be a zombie, but whatever's happened has you incredibly scared and you don't know what to do about it. I understand that. But you can't live your life like this because this isn't living. Right now you're just existing, going from one empty day to another. I'm not saying that confiding in someone will make everything ok, but it would be a positive first step. Will you please consider talking to someone?"

Lucy had picked out a spot on the carpet and was staring intensely at it while Carter was talking. His words spoke to her. It was uncanny how he seemed to know exactly what words to say in order to get through to her. She knew that if she looked at him during his small speech, she would end up spilling her guts to him right now. But part of the reason why she didn't want to tell Carter was the fact that she didn't know how to tell him. How would she explain everything that had happened? What would she say? What should she say? She hadn't told anyone anything about that night and while it was forever burned into her memory, she had never expressed her thoughts about it verbally. What if it came out in a jumbled mess of ramblings? She decided that she needed to practice what she was going to say before she tried telling him anything about it. Without looking at him, she nodded her head. "I'll think about it." She whispered.

He smiled, believing for the first time in weeks that he was actually getting through to her. He scooted closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder. "Thank you."

She felt his arm wrap around her shoulder and immediately scooted closer to him so that she could rest her head on his shoulder. They sat there in silence until Carter had to go to work. After he was gone, Lucy got up and started cleaning up the broken glass. When she was about halfway done she stopped. She had someplace she needed to go.

Song Lyrics: "Troubles" By: Alicia Keys


	19. It's Been Awhile

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Nineteen

**A/N: I had planned on having this chapter done about two days ago; however, I wasn't happy with every single draft I wrote. So it's taken me a while to find a draft I like. Anyway, thank you so much for the warm reviews. They are very appreciated! Enjoy!**

Dave entered the lounge to get some coffee and saw Carter putting on his coat. "Is your shift over already?" He asked, reaching over to get a cup.

Carter turned to face his friend. "Yeah, it's finally over."

Dave laughed. "So are you and Abby doing anything tomorrow?"

Carter looked at him strangely. "No, not that I know. Why?"

Dave laughed harder. "Oh man! You are kidding, right?"

"No. What's so funny?" He was starting to get confused and a little angry that Dave was laughing at him like this.

"Tomorrow's Valentine's Day." Dave informed.

"Crap." Carter sighed. "Hey, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"I can't break up with Abby on Valentine's Day, can I?"

Now it was Dave's turn to look at Carter strangely. "No, you can't. Well, obviously you can but then you're considered heartless." Dave explained. "Why do you want to break up with Abby?"

Carter thought about his answer for a moment before replying. "She's great and I enjoy spending time with her, but…"

"But what?" Dave asked, looking at him expectantly.

"I don't love her as anything more than a friend, and it would be cruel to lead her on. She's not my soul mate."

"So you're certain that you want to break up with her?" Dave asked, hoping that his friend was certain. He and Shelby had been hoping that Carter would finally realize that dating Abby while being in love with Lucy was a bad idea.

"Yeah, I am." Carter nodded. "So how long do you think I need to wait after Valentine's Day before I do it?"

"I'd wait a couple of days." Dave advised.

"What if she wants to do something tomorrow night? Both of us aren't working." The last thing he wanted to do was lead Abby on now that he knew he wanted to break up.

Dave grinned. "Well, you could always take my shift tomorrow night. I was hoping to spend tomorrow with Shelby, but then I got roped into working. If you took my shift for me, you'd not only be helping yourself, but you'd be helping me too—especially since I'm hoping to propose to Shelby soon."

Carter smiled. "You're gonna propose?"

"Yeah. I know it may seem sudden because we've only been dating for a few months but it feels right."

"Well congratulations." Carter nodded.

"Hold off on the congratulations. She hasn't said yes yet." Dave replied, nervous about asking Shelby to marry him.

"She will." Carter grinned. "And don't worry about your shift tomorrow. I'll gladly cover for you."

"Thanks." Dave smiled.

Carter looked at his watch and saw that it was starting to get late. If he wanted to catch Lucy before she went to bed, he would have to hurry. "I better get going. I think Lucy's really close to opening up about her problems."

"That's great!" Dave exclaimed. "Shelby will be glad to hear that."

"Good luck with tomorrow." Carter replied, leaving the lounge. He knew he was right on the verge of getting Lucy to talk to him. Now it was just a matter of time until she let him in.

* * *

Lucy sat on the couch, reading over the pamphlets she got from the clinic she went to earlier. She had decided that she needed to make sure that she was indeed pregnant, so she went to go get checked out at a clinic on the other side of town. She had met with a doctor and also a councilor to discuss her situation. Talking to someone about what happened was hard at first, but Lucy ended up spending close to two and a half hours talking to the councilor at the clinic. It had made her feel better about everything, and it had given her a new outlook. Releasing a sigh, she placed the pamphlets on the coffee table. While at the clinic, she got a ton of information about rape survivor support groups and about her various options concerning her pregnancy. Obviously, she could have the baby. But she could also have an abortion or give the baby up for adoption. Since she was only about six weeks along in her pregnancy she was still eligible to have an abortion, but she still had some time to think about it before she needed to make a decision. She wasn't looking forward to Carter coming home from work because, even though it was going to be hard, she knew that she needed to let him know what happened. She had been in denial about it for too long. She was brought out of her thoughts when Carter came into the apartment. 

"Hey, good, you're still awake." He smiled. He knew that it was late for her. She usually went to sleep at eight, but for some reason, he had a feeling that she would still be awake. "I brought pizza with extra cheese cause I know that's your favorite."

"Great." Lucy replied as he came over to the coffee table and started to set the pizza down. But Lucy noticed the pamphlets were still sitting on the table and quickly scurried to hide them underneath a magazine. She only hoped that Carter hadn't been able to tell what they were about.

Carter noticed that she was hiding what looked like pamphlets, but decided not to say anything about it. "Are you hungry?" He asked.

"A little." She nodded.

"We need plates and drinks." Carter concluded.

"I'll get them." She quickly volunteered. This way, she could grab a beer for him and some water for herself.

"Thanks." He smiled. As soon as she disappeared into the kitchen, he became tempted to life up the magazine she had stuffed the pamphlets under in order to find out what she was hiding. But he resisted that urge, knowing that if Lucy caught him snooping she would never trust him again.

Lucy walked back out into the living room and handed Carter a plate and a beer. Then she went and sat in her usual spot on the couch. "We haven't done this in awhile." She stated, grabbing a piece of pizza.

"I know. I missed it." He replied, opening up his beer. He noticed that she hadn't grabbed a beer like she usually did, but didn't want to mention it.

"I did too." She whispered. They continued to eat their pizza in relative silence, both of them not wanting to ruin the moment. About twenty minutes later, they had finished eating and were still sitting in silence.

"I…" They both started a sentence at the same time. Carter laughed at the situation, while Lucy just gave him a small smile.

"You can go first." Carter relented.

"No, you can go first. Please go first." Lucy insisted.

"I wasn't going to say anything important. You can go ahead." Carter told her. He was going to tell her about Dave's plan to propose to Shelby, but thought that maybe he shouldn't ruin the surprise.

"Ok, if you're sure." Lucy nodded. "I was just going to thank you for this morning. I was a complete mess."

He looked over at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm just glad that I could be there for you. I'd do anything to help you Luce. You know that, right?"

"I know." She nodded, taking a deep breath. "I took your advice and I saw a counselor this afternoon."

"That's great." His smile became wider at the thought of Lucy actively seeking out help for her problems. "How did it go?"

"Ok I guess." She shrugged. "I think I'm ready to tell you what happened, if you're still interested."

"I'm interested, but only if you're sure you're ready to tell me. In the past, you've seemed pretty determined to keep me in the dark."

"I know, and I shouldn't have done that. But I can't change the past. I can only hope to make the future better." Lucy replied.

"That's a good attitude to have." Carter praised.

"You know, before you came home I had my entire speech planned out. I knew exactly how I was going to tell the whole story but now, it's gone from my memory."

"You don't have to tell me right now if…"

"I want to tell you…I need to tell you." She took a deep breath. "I'm just not sure where to start."

"How about the beginning?" Carter joked, trying to lighten the mood.

She smiled at him and then stood up, beginning to slowly pace around the room. "Ok. I guess I'll start at the beginning then. It all started on New Year's Eve. Shelby dragged me to this party. I wanted to leave before I even before I got there. It's like somehow I knew that I shouldn't go, but I did anyway…I stayed there for a while but I wasn't having any fun so I left. I was only a couple of blocks away from the apartment when I felt myself being pulled into a nearby alley. The guy pushed me up against one of the walls and threatened me. He told me that if I made any kind of noise he would kill me." She paused, trying to contain the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. "I did nothing to stop it. I didn't fight him…I couldn't fight him." Finally she couldn't contain the tears. She sunk to the floor and buried her face in her hands, letting the tears flow freely.

Carter immediately got up from the couch and kneeled down next to Lucy. He wasn't sure what to do or what he could do without scaring her off. Could he hug her or would that only aggravate her more? What could he do in this situation? "Luce?"

Lucy looked over and saw Carter kneeling next to her. "He raped me Carter…and now I'm pregnant. What am I going to do?" She sobbed.

It broke his heart to see her so upset. At the same time his head was spinning. He had all but figured out that she had been raped after finding the torn dress in her closet, but finding out that she was pregnant threw him for a loop. He still wasn't sure how to react to the news, but knew that he had to do something to comfort her. So he pulled her close to him so that she was now leaning up against him and crying on his shoulder. He gently stroked her hair. "Everything's gonna be alright Luce. I promise."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Carter looked over at Lucy. The slow, even breath sounds coming from her let him know that she had finally cried herself to sleep. After letting her cry on his shoulder for a while, he moved her back to the couch so that they could both be comfortable while she cried. He still held her in his arms, hoping that he could think of the right words to say to her. He felt horrible that she had to go through this. She didn't deserve this. He wished he could make everything better for her, but had no idea how to do that. He had no clue what she needed from him, so he offered the only thing he could—a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen to her. Anger swelled within him as he thought about the monster who had raped his Lucy. "I don't know what you need from me Luce. I don't know what to do to make everything ok for you but I can promise you this. No matter what happens, you're not alone. I'm never leaving you. That guy better watch out because if I ever find the bastard who did this to you, I swear I will kill him. I'm not gonna let anyone hurt you ever again." He whispered softly, hoping that he didn't wake her up. 

Lucy didn't open her eyes, but she was awake and she heard what Carter had said. While his words had comforted her, they also scared her somewhat. This whole situation scared her. She had no idea what she was going to do about this baby.


	20. He Started It

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. I know I had a lot of fun writing the ending of this chapter. Oh, and sorry about the mini-cliffhanger. It couldn't be avoided. Enjoy!**

"Want a ride to work?" Carter asked, seeing Lucy sitting on the couch as he entered the living room. "I'm going there in about a half hour."

"It's Valentine's Day. Don't you have plans with Abby or something?" Lucy asked.

"No, actually I don't." He replied, sitting next to her on the couch. "I took over Dave's shift so that he could spend time with Shelby."

"That was nice of you." Lucy praised. "But wasn't Abby upset about that?"

"I don't know. I have sort of been avoiding her lately." Carter replied guiltily.

"Why?" She asked, thankful that they could talk about his problems and not hers for once.

"I want to break up with her, but it wouldn't be very nice to do that on Valentine's Day. So I'm waiting a couple of days." Carter explained.

She had been waiting for Carter to dump Abby ever since they started dating, but now that it was actually going to happen she didn't know what to do. She loved him. That much was true, but the last thing she needed right now was to get involved with anyone. She had enough on her plate and wasn't sure she would be able to handle any kind of romantic relationship. To be truthful, she wasn't sure she would ever be able to handle a romantic relationship. "So why are you breaking up?"

"She's not m soul-mate. I don't love her, and it wouldn't be fair to stay in the relationship." Carter explained. "So, do you want that ride?"

"Sure." She replied, giving a small smile.

* * *

"Mr. Sobricki, I'll be back later to check on you." Lucy plastered on a wide smile at her patient before leaving. As soon as she was out in the hallway, the smile faded from her face. 

"Hey." Carter greeted, appearing at her side.

"Hey." Lucy greeted back.

"How's your work load tonight?" He asked, making sure that she wasn't taking on too many patients now that he knew she was pregnant.

"It's pretty light. There aren't a lot of people here tonight." She replied. When they reached the admit desk, she stopped. "Jerry, has anyone from Psych come down to take a look at Mr. Sobricki?"

"No, sorry Lucy." Jerry replied.

"But it's been over an hour since I last paged them." She sighed. "Can you please page them for me again? I think there might be something really wrong with him."

"Sure thing." Jerry smiled, already picking up the phone.

"Thank you." She continued on her way into the lounge and didn't think that Carter would follow her, but he did.

He looked around the lounge and was glad to see that they were alone. While Lucy was getting a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he poured himself a cup of coffee. After taking a look on the table, he started laughing.

"What's so funny?" Lucy asked as she sat on the couch and started drinking her water.

"It's this blue cake." Carter pointed.

She looked over at the cake. "Why is there a blue cake for a Valentine's Day party?"

"I don't know. I wonder how much longer we're going to have to wait to cut into it. I'm starting to get hungry."

"You're always hungry." Lucy pointed out with a smile.

He nodded, sitting down next to her on the couch. "So, have you given any more thought to what you're going to do about the, you know…"

She closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "I don't think that right now is a very good time to be discussing this." She didn't want to talk about it, but that was basically because she didn't think that Carter would like her decision.

"Why not? We're alone." He pushed.

"Someone could walk in at any moment and hear what we're talking about." Lucy pointed out.

He saw what she was doing. "You just don't want to talk about it because you've already made up your mind, haven't you?"

"I haven't made any definite plans yet." She replied, trying to avoid his gaze. "But I think I know what I have to do." She wished that they could drop this subject and pick up some more idle chitchat.

He studied her and the way she was avoiding his gaze. "You're gonna have an abortion, aren't you?"

His tone was accusatory, or angry. He didn't yell it; it was just stated very matter-of-factly. However Lucy knew that tone and heard the disapproval in his voice. "I haven't decided for sure yet."

"Yes you have." He replied, still studying her. The more he studied her, the more he figured her out. On the outside she wanted to have the abortion, but he knew her. She wouldn't be able to go through with it.

"Why do you care?" Lucy asked, getting angry at the way he was staring at her. "It's not like this baby's yours or anything."

"No, but…"

"I didn't ask for this baby. Hell, I don't even know who the father is. Why should I have this baby?" She was beyond angry now, but not at Carter. She was mad at herself for even thinking about getting an abortion. Growing up, she was raised by a mother who didn't believe in abortions. That's why Lucy was born; her mother had chosen to continue her daughter's life after Lucy's father ran off, leaving her alone and pregnant. Her mother was strong; she was able to raise Lucy by herself. Lucy wished she could do the same, but she wasn't so sure that she would be a very good mother. Not only did she lack the self-confidence to be a mother, but she lacked the money to be a mother too and wasn't sure how she was supposed to continue medical school with a child to provide for. It seemed like if she had this baby she was going to destroy the life she had now and if she had an abortion, well she wasn't sure that she would be able to deal with that either. She wanted to take the easy way out and just have the abortion. This morning, she had gone to a nearby church and prayed for God to send her a sign—something that would help her realize what she was supposed to do. Normally she wasn't much of a religious person and didn't go into many churches but she made an exception for this instance.

He thought about her question and couldn't give her an answer. "Only you can decide that Luce. I'm not accusing you of anything. I hope you know that."

She sat back down on the couch next to him and looked down at her lap. "I know…I just…It's too complicated. I don't want to talk about this anymore. Can't we talk about something else? Anything else?"

He reached over and put his arm around her shoulder, allowing her to place her head on his shoulder. "Sure. We'll talk about something else." He started thinking about what else they could talk about and a smile formed on his face. "Well you'll be happy to hear this piece of juicy gossip."

A slight smile graced her face. "Don't keep me in suspense! I could use a nice piece of juicy gossip right about now."

"I didn't take this shift with the sole purpose of avoiding a date with Abby. I also did it because Dave wanted some alone time with Shelby."

"I know that! You already told me that." Lucy interrupted.

"Yes I did, but I didn't tell you the reason why he wanted alone time with her. He's planning on asking her to marry him. I'm pretty sure he's planning on doing that tonight, although I could be wrong. He could be waiting a few more days."

Lucy sat up, removing her head from his shoulder. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "He's gonna propose?"

"Yeah." Carter nodded. "I told you that you'd happy to hear that."

"I'm more than happy! That's great news." Her mind was already starting to think about how she was going to help Shelby plan her wedding.

For the first time in weeks, Carter was able to see Lucy really smile and her eyes lit up with happiness. He could tell that she was already planning Shelby's wedding and just sat back, watching her. About twenty minutes later, she was still off in her own little world but he was still staring at her.

Chuni came into the lounge. "Hey, you two better come out here. We're about to start the party and cut the cake." She walked over to the cabinet and opened a drawer, taking everything out. After searching the rest of the cabinets, she turned to Carter and Lucy. "Have either of you seen a large knife? I brought one in to cut the cake with, but it's gone."

"I haven't seen it." Lucy replied.

"I haven't either." Carter informed her.

"That's odd…that's really odd. I could have sworn that I put it in this drawer. It's not there though." She shrugged it off and took out a regular knife. "I guess this will have to do instead." After picking up the cake, she left the lounge.

"We should probably get out there for the cake." Carter said, looking over at Lucy.

"Yeah." She replied, getting up from her spot on the couch. "But I'm going to go check on Sobricki first and make sure he's ok."

He followed her out the door. "Well hurry up before the cake is gone."

She turned around to face him. "Save me a piece?" She asked nicely.

He smiled. Loud music had started to fill the ER, so he had to yell his next statement so she would hear him. "You know I will!"

Lucy smiled and shook her head as she walked over to Sobricki's room. Approaching it, she noticed that the lights were off. Normally that would have peaked her curiosity but she knew that he had complained of a headache so she figured he was trying to rest. After entering the room, she was confused to find that he wasn't in his bed. She stood there next to his bed for a moment, wondering where he could have gone. His clothes were still here so he hadn't left. Did Psych come down for him while she was in the lounge? She turned to leave so that she could try to find him. Through the dim lights coming from the hallway, she saw him standing in front of the door with a large knife. "Oh crap." She whispered so softly that she had to wonder if she even said it out-loud. She quickly realized that he was holding Chuni's knife, but she had no idea how he had gotten a hold of it. "Um, Paul, why don't you put the knife down?"

"I don't think so." Paul replied angrily. "You've been poking me and prodding me all day. I won't let you do it anymore."

"I'm not here to hurt you. I'm trying to help you." Lucy told him, hoping that she would be able to get through to him. "But I need you to put the knife down. Please?"

"No!" He smirked, taking another step towards her. "Now you're gonna feel what it's like to have people poke you with things."

She backed up a little to get away from him. "I don't think that you really want to do this." She told him, hoping to get him to stop.

"Oh, I think I really do want to do this." He replied, taking another couple of steps towards her.

She walked back a couple of steps and found herself once again up against a wall. Memories of New Year's Eve flooded her mind and she had to work in order to control the tears that were threatening to fall. She knew that she had to get out of there and away from Sobricki before he killed her or her baby. Her baby. She had to find a way to protect her baby. "Please, don't do this."

"You didn't listen when I objected, so I'm not listening to your objections." Paul replied, walking another step. By now he was only a few feet away from her and there was no way that she could get away from him. "And if you scream, I'll only make it hurt more."

* * *

Carter was wondering what was keeping Lucy. She had been gone for about fifteen minutesso he picked up two pieces of cake and walked towards Sobricki's room. He saw the lights were out,and he thought it was odd. After opening the door, he dropped the plates of cake. "What the hell is going on in here?" 

At the sound of Carter's voice, Lucy stopped kicking Paul and looked up. She gave him a nervous smile and bit her lip. She pointed at Paul, who was now unconscious and lying on the floor. "He started it."


	21. Maternal Instinct

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-One

**A/N: I'm glad that I was able to surprise everyone with the last chapter. This chapter will explain how Lucy was able to beat Paul. Enjoy!**

Carter was wondering what was keeping Lucy. She had been gone for about fifteen minutes so he picked up two pieces of cake and walked towards Sobricki's room. He saw the lights were out, and he thought it was odd. After opening the door, he dropped the plates of cake. "What the hell is going on in here?"

At the sound of Carter's voice, Lucy stopped kicking Paul and looked up. She gave him a nervous smile and bit her lip. She pointed at Paul, who was now unconscious and lying on the floor. "He started it."

"Started what?" Carter asked as he walked over to Paul. After finding a pulse and making sure that he was still breathing, he walked back out to the hallway and motioned for Dr. Greene to come over. He came back into the room, hoping for any kind of explanation from Lucy.

"He had Chuni's missing knife. He was going to attack me." She calmly replied, looking at the floor.

"Looks like he got you too." Carter noted, pointing to her right arm. Her lab coat was red with blood.

Mark entered the exam room. "What's going on…" his voice trailed off as he saw Carter and Lucy standing next to a patient lying on the floor. "What happened here?"

"He attacked Lucy." Carter said before Lucy had a chance to speak up. He pointed to Lucy's injured arm. "She was defending herself."

"Looks like you went a little overboard." Mark commented.

"He's got good breath sounds and his pulse is strong. I think he'll be ok." Carter commented.

Mark sighed. "Ok. Carter, help me get him onto the bed and then go get a couple of nurses. We'll put him in restraints and check him out. Then go take care of Lucy's arm. When you're finished, wait for me in the lounge."

"Sure." Carter replied, helping Mark get Paul onto the bed. Then he led Lucy out of the room. "Why don't you go ahead and wait for me in exam six? I'll be there in a minute."

"Sure." Lucy nodded solemnly, heading off to exam six. She went inside and sat down on the edge of the bed. Carefully, she took off her lab coat. Paul had managed to slice her upper arm. It was pretty bloody and she was sure that it would require at least twenty stitches. While she waited for Carter to come in to fix her arm, she thought back to the events leading up to when Carter found her kicking Paul.

_She walked back a couple of steps and found herself once again up against a wall. Memories of New Year's Eve flooded her mind and she had to work in order to control the tears that were threatening to fall. She knew that she had to get out of there and away from Sobricki before he killed her or her baby. Her baby. She had to find a way to protect her baby. "Please, don't do this." _

"_You didn't listen when I objected, so I'm not listening to your objections." Paul replied, walking another step. By now he was only a few feet away from her and there was no way that she could get away from him. "And if you scream, I'll only make it hurt more."_

_She looked into his eyes and could tell that he was serious. He was really going to start slicing her up like she was a Thanksgiving turkey. She knew that she had to do something. She couldn't let herself be a victim again. She had been paralyzed with fear on New Year's Eve and, although she was scared out of her mind right now, she couldn't let that keep her from fighting back. She couldn't let herself or her baby get killed. Her baby. Once again, she had this maternal instinct to protect her child. She decided that in order to come out of this situation with her life and her child's life, she would have to think of a plan—a strategy to distract him so she could get the upper hand. A strange smile started to form on her face. It was the kind of smile that someone would have if they had just won the lottery._

_Paul noticed the smile on her face and started to get confused. "Why are you smiling? There's no reason for you to smile! I'm the one who should be smiling" _

_She didn't answer his question. She just kept smiling and started to chuckle. _

_He was starting to get angry now. "Stop laughing! This isn't funny! This is a serious situation!" _

"_I think it's laughable." She calmly stated. _

"_Well it's not. Wipe that smile off of your face before I do it for you." He threatened, waving the knife in her face. _

"_I'd like to see you try that." She replied. She knew that such a statement was bold and asking for trouble, but she had a plan. _

_He chuckled. "Maybe I will." He moved in closer to attack._

_Lucy watched him carefully, choosing the perfect moment to attack. Right before the knife was able to make contact with her skin she kneed Paul in the groin area. This made him back up a few steps from Lucy and cower in pain. "What's wrong? Huh?" She noticed that he was distracted because of the pain she had caused. "Did you think that I would just let you kill me? Cause I won't." She was so focused on what she was saying that she didn't notice he was gaining his composure back. _

_Paul lunged at Lucy and soon they were locked in a battle of strength. She was trying to hold him back so that he wouldn't be able to cut her, but he was much stronger than her and knew that he would eventually win this battle. Sure enough, a few moments later, Lucy wasn't able to hold him back any longer and he used the knife to slice her arm. _

_Lucy grabbed her right arm while crying out in pain, noting the blood that was now on her hands and running down her arm. "You're gonna pay for that one." She promised. With renewed strength she kicked him, making the knife fly out of his hands and land on the other side of the room. Now it was far away from him and out of his reach. Her kick had made him fall to the floor, and she saw that his head had made contact with the door of a nearby cabinet. He fell to the floor and appeared to be unconscious. She walked over to him and kicked him in the stomach area. "That was for threatening me with the knife!" She kicked him again. "And that one was for slicing open my arm!" Kicking him again, she said, "That one was for endangering the life of my baby!" She paused before kicking him again. "And that one is because you're making me miss the Valentine's Day party!" She was going to kick him again, but the door had opened and she heard Carter's voice calling out to her. _

"Hey Luce? You ok?" Carter asked as he entered the room and saw Lucy staring out into space.

Lucy shook the thoughts out of her head and nodded. "I'm fine."

He sat next to her on her right side so that he could take a closer look at her arm. "Wow, he really cut your arm up badly. Does it hurt a lot? I could get you something for it."

"No thanks. I can deal with it. It's not that bad." Lucy shook her head.

"Ok." He nodded, going back to stitching up her arm.

After a few moments of silence, Lucy finally spoke. "You're probably wondering what happened."

He paused for a moment and then went back to stitching up her arm. "Yeah, but if you don't want to tell me right now, you don't have to. I can wait."

"He was going to kill me. I'm certain of that. There was this wild look in his eyes. I couldn't let him hurt me or my baby." She paused, letting a small smile appear on her face as she turned to look over at Carter. "It was weird. I was thinking about how I needed to protect my baby and then all of a sudden I was attacking him. If you hadn't come into the room when you did, I think I might not have stopped kicking him."

"I think that's what they call maternal instinct." Carter pointed out, locking eyes with Lucy.

"I guess." She maintained eye contact with him for a few seconds and then looked down at the floor. "You know, I went to church this afternoon."

"You went to church?" He asked, surprised by this revelation. "You hate churches."

"I know that." She laughed. "But I went there anyway. I prayed and lit a couple of candles. I had to go and ask God to give me a sign about what to do. Lately everything's been so complicated and I have had no idea what I'm supposed to do next. I needed him to show me what to do, and in a way he did."

"How so?" Carter asked, curious about what she was talking about. Right now, he didn't understand her ramblings or what conclusions her comments were leading to.

"Ever since I found out that I'm pregnant I have been doubting whether or not I could actually be a good mother. My mom has always made it seem so easy, but I know that it isn't and I didn't think I could it. But now I think I can because if I can protect this baby from someone like Paul Sobricki, I can do anything."

He started to smile at her words. He had known that she would never be able to have an abortion, and was glad that it didn't take her very long to realize it either. "I've always known that you would be a great mother. You're a natural nurturer Luce, just like your mom."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"That's what I'm here for." He chuckled. "Your arm is fixed. You're gonna have to have these stitches in for…"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…I know the speech." She smiled.

"Yeah, I forgot who I was talking to." Carter laughed. "Sorry."

"That's ok." She gave him a hug. "Thank you."

"All I did was stitch up your arm." He was surprised by her hug but welcomed it, closing his eyes and taking in the intoxicating scent of her hair.

She pulled away from him but not completely. Their faces were still inches away from each other. "I didn't mean for that…well I did, but I also meant for everything. These past couple of days you've been great and I really appreciate…"

He decided to interrupt her. "You don't have to say it. I know."

"Yeah I do have to say it. You're my best friend and I don't know what I'd do without you." They had been staring at each other and slowly, their mouths started to move closer. She was certain that they were going to kiss any second now. Frightened by this realization, she pulled away and stood up. "Um, we should probably go wait for Dr. Greene in the lounge like he said."

"Yeah." Carter replied, a little disappointed by the fact that they didn't kiss.


	22. Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-Two

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who's left me a review! Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted. Enjoy!**

About a half-hour later, Mark came into the lounge. Seeing both Carter and Lucy on the couch, he pulled up a chair and sat down. "Sobricki's gonna be fine. How is your arm?"

"It's fine." Lucy replied.

"So what exactly happened?" Mark asked.

Lucy took a deep breath before starting to recall the story. "I had ordered a Psych evaluation for him hours ago but no one ever came down, so I went to go make sure he was ok. At first I thought Psych had come down and admitted him, but then I saw him. He was waiting for me behind the door when I came in. Somehow Paul got a hold of Chuni's knife. He started telling me that he was tired of being poked and prodded and that now he was going to show me what it felt like. He kept coming closer and closer, and no matter how hard I tried I could not get him to stop. I tried reasoning with him, but he obviously wasn't thinking rationally. When he had me pinned against the wall I knew I had to do something. So I kicked him in the groin area and we started fighting. He sliced my arm and I kicked him. He hit his head against a cabinet and was knocked unconscious."

Mark was quiet for a moment before speaking. "I see." Then he looked over at Carter. "And when did you enter the picture?"

"I came into the room after Sobricki was knocked unconscious." Carter answered.

"Am I in trouble for this?" Lucy asked, suddenly worried about the ramifications of her actions.

"You shouldn't be!" Carter exclaimed. "It was self-defense."

"Actually, even though it was self-defense, I do have to suspend you without pay for a week—starting today." Mark announced. "I believe you that it was self-defense, and I'm very glad that you weren't seriously hurt; however, I also have to answer to hospital policy. I'm sorry Lucy."

While Lucy wasn't happy about this news, she wasn't too angry. She wished that she could still get paid because she could use the money, but on the bright side she got a week off from work. "That's ok. I understand."

"I also suggest that tomorrow you go down to the police station and press charges against Sobricki." Mark told her.

"I agree. You should press charges against him." Carter piped up.

"Ok." Lucy nodded.

"Carter, why don't you go ahead and take Lucy home? Your shift is almost over anyway." Mark suggested.

"Ok. I will." Carter agreed.

"Then I guess, Lucy, you can come back to work next Friday." Mark smiled.

"Thank you Dr. Greene." Lucy smiled.

Mark got up to leave, but turned around once he got to the door. "Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day."

* * *

The car ride back to their apartment was pretty quiet. Each of them were both lost in their own thoughts. Once they got inside the apartment, Lucy started towards the kitchen. "Want anything to drink?" She asked. 

"No thanks." He replied, sitting on the couch.

Lucy came out a few seconds later with a glass of water and plopped down on the couch next to him. "I'm beginning to hate holidays." She stated out of the blue.

"What? Why do you say that?" He laughed.

"Look at my track record with holidays lately. It's not exactly stellar." She pointed out. "First New Year's Eve and now today. It's almost like I'm cursed on all major holidays."

"You know, I never thought of it like that. That is quite odd." Carter conceded. "Kinda makes you wonder what's going to happen on St. Patrick's Day, doesn't it?"

Lucy groaned. "I don't even want to know! I think I'm just gonna stay inside the apartment that day."

"For your sake, that's probably a good idea." Carter nodded. They were silent for a few moments until Carter spoke up again. "Oh, I almost forgot. I got you something for Valentine's Day."

She was surprised. "You got me something?"

"Well it's not much, but yeah." He replied, getting up from the couch. "It's in my room. I'll be right back."

"Ok." Now she felt bad. She hadn't gotten him anything for Valentine's Day. So why was he getting her something? She thought back to earlier when they almost kissed. She hadn't pulled away because she didn't want to kiss him; she really did want to kiss him. But she was worried about the ramifications of kissing him. First of all, that would change the dynamics of their friendship. She needed his friendship now more than ever and, even though she loved him, she couldn't risk their friendship. Secondly, she wasn't ready for any kind of romantic activity—including kissing. She was just starting to deal with her feelings and thoughts about the rape. Jumping into anything other than friendship with Carter would only confuse her and complicate her life even more.

Carter came back out of his room and handed her a small box as he sat back down on the couch. "Happy Valentine's Day Luce."

She took the box, not opening it yet. "I feel bad that I didn't get you anything. I didn't think that…"

"Don't worry about it." Carter assured her. "My gift is completely cheesy. I know that you haven't had many reasons to smile lately. I just thought this might bring a smile to your face." He noticed that she was hesitating to open it. "Well go ahead and open it."

"Ok." She nodded, opening up the box. Taking a look inside, she immediately closed her eyes and started to laugh. A huge smile erupted on her face as she pulled out the item. "You got me a pez dispenser?"

He smiled. "Yes, but it's not just any pez dispenser. It's a Smurfette pez dispenser."

"I can't believe you got me this!" She laughed.

"Why not?" He asked. "I remember you used to have one of these."

"When I was seven!" She pointed out.

He laughed. "I know how sad you were when you lost it. You loved pez back then."

"I still do." Lucy nodded, looking over at him.

"That's what I was counting on."

"Thank you." She chuckled. "You always seem to know what to do or say to get me to smile."

"That's because I know you so well." He smiled.

She nodded. "Sometimes I think you know me a little too well." Sometimes it seemed like they shared a brain. They could finish each other's sentences and tell what the other was thinking. They had always had that kind of special connection. Normally it amused her.

He wasn't sure what to say to that comment. Of course he knew her well. He grew up with her, even though there was a twelve-year period where they didn't speak to each other. Ever since she came back into his life he had been remembering every single detail of their childhood, trying to figure out how he could have been so stupid. He never should have cut her out of his life. Aside from his Gamma, Lucy was the only other person who had given him unconditional love and support during his childhood. She was the best thing in his life growing up and she's the best thing in his life now. So why did he cut her loose? After thinking about that question for a while, he had finally come to a conclusion. One conclusion was that he was an idiot who didn't know how lucky he was to have Lucy in his life. It was the stupidest mistake of his life, and he didn't intend on repeating that mistake. He was determined to do everything in his power to make sure that she was a part of his life forever.

"Do you want one?" Lucy offered, popping the tiny pez in her mouth.

"Sure." He nodded, taking the pez from her hand. "Thanks."

Although Lucywas sittingthere on the couch next to Carter, her mind was a million miles away. She had finally made up her mind and knew what she wanted. She wanted this baby; she was sure of it. The only question that remained was how was she going to take care of this baby? How is she supposed to have this baby and still go to medical school? How is she supposed to pay for this baby? She wasn't rich like Carter; she couldn't afford to be out of work for months while on maternity leave. She could probably get Shelby to baby-sit for her while she went to work, but another thought suddenly popped into her head. She would have to move because the last thing Carter would want is to live with a baby who would wake up at all hours of the night. So starting tomorrow, she would look for a smaller apartment. She could probably get by with just a one bedroom right now and keep the crib in her room when the baby is born. Maybe if she stretched every possible penny, she could get by.

"What are you thinking about so intently?" Carter asked, drawing Lucy out of her thoughts.

Lucy looked over at him and then focused her attention on the pez dispenser. "I was just thinking about what I'm going to have to do in order to take care of this baby. I'm gonna have to drop out of med school for at least a semester. So I'll have to find some kind of a job to hold me over. I'll have to get a new place…"

This statement confused him. "A new place? Why?"

She laughed, thinking that he should have already guessed why she needed to move out. "Because I'm not going to make you live with a screaming baby that wakes up in the middle of the night."

"I wouldn't mind." He smiled.

"Sure, you say that now. But it just wouldn't work out very well." She shook her head. "Besides it will save me money in the long run if I get a smaller apartment, and believe me, I'll need every penny."

He shook his head, taking in everything she was saying.

"Well, I am exhausted. I'm going to bed. Goodnight Carter." She smiled, getting up from the couch. "And thanks for the pez."

"You're welcome." Carter replied. "Goodnight Luce." He watched her go into her bedroom and close the door. Sitting there alone, he started thinking about what Lucy was talking about. She was going to have a hard time providing for her baby and was going to have to make a lot of sacrifices. Maybe there was something he could do to help her. The wheels in his head started to turn as he began to think of ways to help her. Suddenly, a wide smile broke out on his face as he came up with what he considered to be his most brilliant idea ever.


	23. The Perfect Lie

We Used To Be Friends

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out. Enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-Three

"Oh, this looks interesting…one bedroom apartment with one bath…it's close to the hospital…rent looks affordable…maybe I should go check it out." Lucy circled the ad in the newspaper and ate the last spoonful of her cereal. She had been scouring the newspaper the past couple of days looking for a new apartment and hadn't found anything that looked good and was in her price range. She was beginning to get frustrated. She was rinsing out her now-empty bowl of cereal when there was a knock on the door. She put the bowl down and wiped her hands on her jeans as she went to answer the door. "Hi." She greeted.

"Hey." Shelby greeted with a huge smile. "You busy?"

"No, not really." Lucy replied, letting her friend inside. It was now day two of her one-week suspension. She had told Shelby about Paul's attack and her suspension, but still hadn't told her about the rape or the resulting pregnancy. She wanted to, but something always held her back.

"I thought maybe we could go out to breakfast." Shelby suggested, hoping that her friend would accept her offer. Lately Lucy wasn't quite as closed off or unhappy as she had been. It gave her hope that maybe Lucy was going to be ok, but it still bothered her that Lucy wasn't confiding in her about her problems. She was usually always the first person Lucy ran to when she had a problem, but now Lucy seemed to be running to Carter. She wasn't a selfish person and she was glad that at least Lucy had someone she could talk to, but she couldn't help feeling hurt and a little left out.

"I just had breakfast." Lucy stated, going over to the coffee table and straightening up the magazines. "But there's some coffee left and I have cereal. You could always stay and we could talk about wedding plans."

Shelby smiled. "Ok." She followed Lucy into the kitchen and sat down at the small table as Lucy fixed her a bowl of her favorite cereal. She glanced over at the newspaper on the table and pulled it closer. "Are you looking for a new apartment?"

Lucy placed the bowl in front of Shelby and then turned to fix her a cup of coffee. "Maybe." She replied casually.

"Why?" Shelby asked. "I thought this arrangement with Carter was working out."

"It is." Lucy replied, placing the coffee in front of Shelby and sitting down across from her.

"Then why are you looking to move out?" Shelby questioned.

"I'm just exploring my options." Lucy replied. "Now, how about we talk about the wedding that we have to plan?"

Shelby knew that for some reason, Lucy didn't want to talk about this. Of course, Lucy never really wanted to talk to her about anything that was going on in her life anymore. She sighed. "I'll let you change the topic this time, but eventually I'll find out why you want to move out."

"Fair enough." Lucy relented. "So you aren't going to make me wear some hideous color dress, are you? 'Cause I refuse to wear to certain colors."

"I was thinking a dark blue of for your maid of honor dress. Is that ok?"

"That's fine." Lucy nodded. "When's the wedding going to be?"

"Well we don't want a really long engagement. I was thinking maybe late June or early July. What do you think?" Shelby asked.

Lucy hardly heard one word Shelby was saying. Her stomach was doing about a million flip-flops a minute. "Excuse me." She got up and practically sprinted to the bathroom. Barely making it to the bathroom in time, she immediately started throwing up. After a few minutes, she was finally done. She slowly got up and walked over to the sink to rinse out her mouth with mouthwash. In the mirror's reflection she saw Shelby standing in the doorway with her arms crossed around her chest. "I ate some bad food last night." She lied.

"Right." Shelby replied, not buying the obvious lie. "So what's the truth? What aren't you telling me?"

Lucy rinsed out her mouth and then walked past Shelby, sitting on the edge of her bed. "Nothing. I just had some bad food. That's all."

Shelby sat next to her friend. "You're pregnant, aren't you?" She asked quietly, putting the pieces of the puzzle together. "That's why you're getting sick and that's why you want to move out."

She knew she couldn't lie her way out of this one. Shelby knew her too well, and she might as well tell her now. "Yes. I'm pregnant."

"Who's the father?" Shelby asked, praying to God that somehow it was Carter.

Lucy stood up and started walking out of the room. "You know, I just remembered that I have some errands I need to do. Can we talk about this later?"

Shelby followed her out to the living room. "I think we should talk about this now."

"But I need to get going. I have a ton of things to do today. I'm really swamped." Lucy lied. She felt bad about trying to get rid of Shelby like this, but she didn't feel like explaining who the father of her child was right now.

"Why won't you tell me who the father is?" Shelby asked.

"Because I don't want to talk about this!" Lucy yelled.

"But Lucy…"

"Just leave me alone about this Shelby! I don't want to talk about it!" She yelled.

"Fine." Shelby knew that she wasn't going to get Lucy to talk to her right now. She sighed. "I guess I'll go and let you get your errands done then."

"Maybe we can have lunch tomorrow or something."

"Sure." Shelby nodded, closing the door after she left the apartment.

* * *

Carter found Abby alone in the lounge and figured that this was a good time to talk to her. "Hi." 

"Hi." She smiled before going back to reading the newspaper.

He sat down across from her. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure." Abby replied, putting down the newspaper. She took one look at his face. "Is it something serious?"

"Yes." He replied. "Abby, I like you. I think you're a great woman and I have a lot of fun with you, but…"

She smiled and laughed, finishing his sentence for him. "But you want to break up?"

He looked at her confused by her smile and laugh. He thought she would be upset, but she almost looked relived. "Yeah. How did you know?"

"I've pretty much always known that you would eventually break up with me. That's why I never got too serious about you." She explained. "I always knew you would come to your senses and realize your feelings for Lucy."

"How do you know about my feelings for…I mean, what are you talking about?" He asked, pretending to play dumb.

"You love Lucy. Don't even try to deny it. I see it all over your face every time you look at her. I just can't figure out why Lucy can't see it." She shook her head.

He couldn't believe that he was that transparent to Abby. He started to wonder how many other people knew it too. "How many other people are aware of this?"

She smiled even wider. "Pretty much everyone except Lucy. Somehow she seems almost immune to it."

"You aren't going to tell her, are you?"

"No, of course not." She shook her head. "I'd never do that to you."

"Thanks." He released a sigh of relief. The last thing Lucy needed right now was to find out that he was deeply in love with her. She had enough to worry about right now. But one question remained in his mind. "So if you knew I was in love with Lucy, why did you agree to go out with me?"

Abby got up from her seat and touched his shoulder. "Because you're cute and I thought we could have some fun together—which we did. And now it's over."

"We can still be friends though, right?" Carter asked, amazed that she was taking this so well.

"Sure." She replied. "But I've got to get back to my patients. See you later."

"Yeah, later." Carter replied, still in disbelief that he was being so obvious about his love for Lucy.

"Hey, what's up?" Dave asked sitting in the seat that Abby had vacated only moments earlier.

"I just broke up with Abby."

"How did that go?" Dave asked.

"She wasn't really upset. She said she knew it was coming because of my feelings for Lucy." Carter explained. "And then she said that everyone in the ER knows about my feelings for Lucy. Is that true?"

Dave laughed. "Yeah. It's all in the way you look at her. I'm still amazed at the fact that she hasn't caught on yet. It's almost like she's living in a big bubble or something."

He was silent for a moment before deciding to change the subject. "So congratulations again about the engagement. I'm happy for you both. Shelby's a great person."

"Yeah she is." Dave agreed, getting a dreamy look on his face. After a couple of moments, he turned serious again. "Carter, look, I was wondering if maybe you'd like to be my best man?"

Carter smiled. "Sure. Thanks."

"Great." Dave smiled.

* * *

Lucy was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on the TV when the door opened and Carter appeared. "How was your day?" She asked. 

"It was ok." Carter replied, sitting next to her on the couch. "And yours?"

"Being suspended from work is great. I highly recommend it." She replied sarcastically. "There's nothing good to watch on TV"

He chuckled. "Is this all that you have done today? Watch TV?"

She sheepishly looked down at the floor. "Maybe." She paused. "Shelby came over this morning and I talked to her for a while."

"I bet she's happy about the engagement."

"Yeah." Lucy replied.

"I broke up with Abby today."

"How did she take the news?" Lucy asked.

"She was actually fine about it. It was a nice, clean break." Carter explained.

"That's nice." She nodded. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel happy that Carter had broken up with Abby.

"Dave has made me his best man." Carter smiled.

She smiled also. "You've always wanted to be someone's best man. I'm glad that you're finally living out your dream."

"Thanks." He replied. "So did you and Shelby start making wedding plans yet?"

"We started to, but she's not too thrilled with me right now."

"What happened?"

"I had a little bit of morning sickness while she was here and she figured out that I was pregnant. When she asked me who the father was I kinda yelled at her a little." She admitted. "I didn't mean to yell at her; I just didn't want to talk about it."

"You're gonna have to talk about it at some point." Carter reminded her. "People are naturally going to be curious about who the father is."

"I know." She replied, looking over at him. "But I just need some time to figure out a good lie."

"I have the perfect lie that will solve all of your problems." He grinned.

She chuckled, deciding to humor him this one time. She figured he would come up with the idea of saying that aliens abducted her and she ended up pregnant, or something far-fetched like that. "Oh yeah? Well ok then. What is this perfect lie that will magically solve all of my problems?"

He looked her straight in the eyes. "Let me be the father of your baby."


	24. Free Food

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-Four

**A/N: I haven't been receiving as many reviews lately. Now that either means that people just aren't reviewing anymore or they have stopped reading this story. I sincerely hope that it just means that people aren't reviewing anymore. Enjoy!**

Lucy woke up late the next morning since she didn't have to work. Yawning, she walked into the kitchen and saw a note from Carter.

_Lucy,_

_I had to go to work, but I wanted to tell you that I'm serious about the offer I made last night. Just think about it ok?_

Carter 

After she read the note, she crumpled up the paper and threw it in the trash. Was he really serious about the offer he made last night? Should she seriously consider it? As she made breakfast she thought about their conversation last night.

"_I have the perfect lie that will solve all of your problems." Carter grinned. _

_She chuckled, deciding to humor him this one time. "Oh yeah? Well ok then. What is this perfect lie that will magically solve all of my problems?" _

_He looked her straight in the eyes. "Let me be the father of your baby."_

_Lucy looked at him with her mouth hanging open. She couldn't believe that he just said that. Did he really just say that he wanted to be the father of her baby? No, this had to be some kind of joke. She chuckled at the absurdity of his statement. "You know I appreciate it that you feel this constant need to make me laugh, but it's not necessary."_

_The smile that had been on his face quickly turned into a frown. "It wasn't a joke. I was being serious."_

_She rolled her eyes. "Sure you were, and I am the Queen of England!" _

"_Luce, I really was being serious." He assured her. _

_She stood up from the couch, confused by what he was saying. "You want to be the father of this baby?" _

"_Yes, if you'll let me." Carter nodded. He could see that she still wasn't convinced so he decided to explain his proposal in a little more detail. "Just hear me out about this?" _

_She sat back down and nodded, unable to do anything else. "Ok, go ahead."_

"_Ok here's what I'm thinking. You want to raise this child alone and you're ready to make sacrifices in order to do that, but you don't have to. Why not let me help you raise this child? I could not only help out financially, but I could help you raise this child. Granted I don't know how to change a diaper but I'm a fast learner. I'm sure it can't be too hard." He paused, making sure the she was still listening to him. "I know that you don't want to tell everyone what happened to you. This way, if you make me the father, you'll be…"_

"_I'll be someone who had one-night stand with a guy who already had a girlfriend." She interrupted. "Abby and everyone else is going to do the math on this pregnancy and they'll realize that in order for you to be the father you had to have cheated on Abby. I'm not going to soil your good name and reputation." _

"_I don't care about my name and reputation!" Carter exclaimed. "I care about you Luce. You're my best friend and I want to help you. Let me help you. Please? C'mon! It'll be fun." _

_She sat there, letting his words sink in. Sitting in front of her was a man who was willing to raise a child that wasn't his. "I could never ask you to do this for me." _

"_I know. But you're not asking." He grinned. "I'm volunteering."_

"_Still, this isn't a small favor like going to the store to get ice cream." She pointed out. "This is a long-term commitment."_

"_I realize that."  
_

"_Do you? Really?" She sighed. "Because this isn't a decision that you can make all of a sudden. How much have you actually thought this through?" _

"_Trust me, I've thought this through."_

"_Ok, so say I agree to your offer. What happens if two years from now you get tired of playing father to a child that isn't yours? You can't just walk away." _

"_I'm not going to get tired of playing father. Trust me." _

_She stood up and started walking around to clear her head. "Look Carter, I appreciate what you're offering but I can't do this. I think it's a horrible idea."_

_He stood up and walked over to her. "Why? Why is it such a bad idea? Are you worried that I can't be a good father?" _

"_It's not that. I think you're going to be a wonderful father…to your own kids. But there is no reason for you to get dragged down raising mine. This is my problem, not yours. You're sweet to offer this, but I can't accept your offer." She kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight."_

Lucy took her bowl of cereal and sat down at the table. As she ate spoonful after spoonful of the cereal, she kept thinking about Carter's offer. She couldn't possibly accept it, right? It wouldn't be fair for her to saddle him with a child that wasn't his. Of course she wasn't the one who brought the idea up, so could she accept his offer since he was volunteering? But that question brought up another in her mind. Why was he volunteering to raise her child with her? Was he consciously trying to insinuate himself into a permanent place in her life? Could it be possible that Shelby and Dave had been right about it from the start and Carter was actually in love with her? Or was she just trying to read too much into a polite gesture? Her mind flashbacked to when he was putting the stitches in her arm and they almost kissed. Looking back on that, she realized that he had looked slightly disappointed that they hadn't kissed. So maybe he did have feelings for her. She closed her eyes, trying to think about what was worsethe fact that he might have feelings for her or the fact that he might not. She wasn't ready to deal with any kind of relationship right now; however, if she was wrong and he didn't have any feelings for her, then she would be beyond embarrassed. It was entirely possible that he just pitied her because of the situation she was in and wanted to help. She realized that she had eaten all of the cereal and went to rinse the bowl out in the sink. Maybe what she needed was a couple of days away from this situation. Maybe then she could figure out what to do. She went back out to the living room and picked up the phone, dialing a very familiar number.

"Hello?" A cheery voice answered.

"Hi mom! How are you?" Lucy asked, matching her mother's cheery tone.

"Lucy! It's great to hear from you. Are you ok?" Barbara Knight asked.

"I'm fine." Lucy lied. "Are you going to be really busy the next couple of days?"

"No, not really. I have a couple of client meetings, but nothing too important. Why?"

"I have a couple of days off and I thought I might come down for a visit. Is that ok?" Lucy asked hesitantly.

"Lucy, you know that you never need to ask permission to come home! You're always welcome here and I would love it if you came for a visit. But is everything ok?" Barbara knew her daughter well, and could tell that there was definitely something bothering her.

"Everything's fine mom." Lucy lied.

"Ok." She didn't believe her daughter, but figured that she could prod the truth from her when she showed up. "So when are you coming down?"

"Well I have a couple of things I need to do today so I figured I'd come by sometime tomorrow afternoon. Is that ok?"

"That's perfect. My client meeting is in the morning and then I can just clear the rest of my day so that I can spend it with my baby girl."

Lucy smiled when her mom called her baby girl. It had always been her mother's nickname for her, and always made her feel loved and protected. "Ok then. I'll see you tomorrow. Love you mom."

"Love you too Lucy."

Lucy hung up the phone and sighed. She knew that she had to tell her mother about his pregnancy sooner or later, and maybe she should just get it over with now. Feeling a little better about the whole situation, she smiled and went to go shower and change.

* * *

Carter sat at a desk, going over a few charts Dr. Greene had given him earlier. His mind struggled to focus on the charts but every few seconds he felt his mind wander over to the topic of Lucy. He wondered if she would ever agree to let him help raise her child. He wanted to; he was certain of that. This wasn't a decision that he was going to regret making in the future. Lucy was his soul mate; he was sure of that now, and he didn't intend on letting her go without a fight. 

"Earth to Carter?" Dave laughed, moving his hand in front of Carter's face. "Hey man, you in there?"

"Huh?" Carter asked, coming back from his thoughts. "Sorry. What did you say?"

"Nothing important. You ok?" Dave asked.

"Yeah, sure." Carter nodded half-heartedly.

"Anything you want to talk about? 'Cause I'm assuming that it has to do with Lucy, right?"

Carter smiled. "How'd you guess?"

"Almost everything with you involves Lucy in some way. So what happened?"

He thought about telling Dave about the whole situation, but then stopped. It wasn't his story to tell. It was Lucy's, and he would respect her wishes. "It's nothing serious."

"Does it have to do with Lucy's delicate condition?" Dave whispered, trying to keep the nurses from finding out what they were talking about. He knew that Lucy wouldn't want this spreading around the ER gossip mill when she got back.

Carter's eye got wide. "Shelby told you?"

"Yeah, of course she did." Dave nodded. "So does it have to do with that?"

"Yeah, in a way." Carter nodded. "I better get back to my charts."

"Ok. I can take the hint. You don't want to talk about it. That's fine." Dave nodded, going off to check on a patient.

* * *

Lucy waited in the diner booth, nervously playing with the wrapper of her straw. She quickly discarded the straw wrapper when the person she was waiting for sat across from her. "You came." She smiled hesitantly. 

"Well, you did offer to pay and I can't seem to resist free food." Shelby reasoned. "You know that's one of my weaknesses."

Lucy chuckled. "I know."

"So what did you want to talk about?"

"I was wondering if you would forgive me?" Lucy asked, sending a sad smile to her friend.

"For what?" Shelby asked.

"I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You didn't do anything wrong. You were just curious and I shouldn't have bitten your head off about it. I've just been under a lot of stress lately and I took it out on you. I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." Shelby replied. "But you know, truthfully, I wasn't really mad at you. Hurt, yes, but not mad."

"Why hurt?" Lucy asked.

Shelby chuckled. "Do you really need to ask? For weeks now you've been avoiding me, and when we have talked, you barely talk to me. If I hadn't figured out that you were pregnant, were you ever going to tell me?"

"Of course I was…eventually. I'm really sorry Shelby." Lucy apologized, meaning every word. "I've just had a lot going on lately and I know it's no excuse, but it was easier for me to just shut myself off from everything."

"But you don't need to. You have friends who want to help you." Shelby reminded her.

"I'm beginning to realize that." Lucy smiled. "I'm sorry I haven't been around much lately. I intend on changing that."

"Are you going to tell me what's been bothering you?" Shelby asked.

She stayed quiet for a moment. "I…I can't…not right now. I need to sort out some things first."

"Ok." Shelby relented, even though she was tempted to interrogate Lucy until she spilled everything.

"Oh, and just so you know, I'm going home to visit my mom for a couple of days."

"Why?" Shelby asked. "Is she ok?"

"She's fine. I just thought a little change of scenery would do me some good." Lucy explained.

"Are you going to tell her about the baby?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. I should let her know about it."

"She won't be mad at you." Shelby stated. "She's your mom and she loves you. I have a feeling she will understand."

"Thanks. I hope so."


	25. Taking A Risk

We Used To Be Friends  
Chapter Twenty-Five

**A/N: Thanks for the kind reviews. I guess I was just feeling a little insecure:) Enjoy!**

When Carter entered the apartment later that evening, he immediately started looking for Lucy. His search didn't take long though because he soon spotted her asleep on the couch. She looked so peaceful that he hoped she was having a good dream. Noticing that her blanket had fallen off the couch, he walked over and gently placed the blanket over her again. Then he kneeled down next to the couch, watching her sleep. He was hungry and as he wandered into the kitchen he paused to wonder if she had eaten yet. Opening up the refrigerator, he found some sliced ham and cheese. Deciding on a sandwich, he gathered the necessary ingredients. He was constructing a sandwich when he heard Lucy scream. He rushed back into the living room to find her sitting on the couch with her head buried in her hands, gasping for air. He went over and sat next to her. Knowing that she must have had another nightmare, he cautiously placed his arm around her shoulder. "Luce? You ok?"

She raised her head up and looked at him, revealing her tear-stained face to him. This latest nightmare had been one of the worst she had experienced. It felt uncharacteristically real and shook her to her core. Not answering his question, she buried herself in his arms and let herself cry.

He wrapped his arms around her, wanting to do anything to make her feel safe. "Ssh, it's ok Lucy. Everything's fine and you're safe here." He stroked her hair and placed a kiss on the top of her head. "It was just a dream and dreams can't hurt you unless you let them."

They stayed that way on the couch for close to a half hour as Lucy collected herself and her thoughts. She didn't mean to fall apart in front of Carter like that yet again, but somehow it just seemed to happen. She finally pulled out of his grasp and wiped the few stray tears from her face. Keeping her gaze locked at the floor, she spoke to him for the first time since she woke up. "Sorry about that."

"You have nothing to be sorry about." Carter told her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Another nightmare?"

She simply nodded, realizing that she couldn't look up at him right now. If she did, she would most likely see something in his eyes that she didn't want to see. She couldn't stand to see pity in his eyes; she didn't want anyone's pity.

He figured that she didn't want to talk about it right now. So he decided to change the topic. "I was making dinner. Are you hungry?"

She appreciated the fact that he was trying to change the subject and couldn't squelch the tiny grin that formed on her face when he mentioned that he was making dinner. "You're cooking?" She sincerely hoped that he wasn't because she was hungry.

He laughed. "Well, I'm not exactly cooking. I was just going to make sandwiches. Is that ok?"

"That's fine." She smiled, relieved that she wasn't going to have to eat another of his horrible concoctions. "I'm gonna go and splash some water on my face."

"Ok." Carter nodded. "I'll get to work on the sandwiches."

Lucy got up from the couch and made her way into her bathroom. After splashing some cold water on her face, she reached for a towel. When she was done, she stood there for a moment staring at her face. "Pull yourself together Lucy." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Pull yourself together."

* * *

About an hour later, Carter and Lucy were doing the dishes that they had been neglecting for the past couple of days. The topics of their conversations throughout dinner had consisted of normal, everyday topics. They had discussed his day at work and any interesting patients, as well as what she had done to occupy her time. But there was still one topic that they were avoiding like the plague. "I'm going to go visit my mom tomorrow." Lucy casually stated out of the blue as she dried the plate in her hand with a towel. 

This news surprised him. "You are? Why?"

"I need to tell her about the baby, and besides, I need to get away from this city for awhile." She explained.

"How long are you going to be gone?" He wondered.

"Only a couple of days." She shrugged.

He nodded. Although he didn't want Lucy to leave, he understood that she felt the need to escape from the city. "So you're going to tell your mom about what happened?"

She stopped what she was doing and looked at him. "I'm not telling her about what happened on New Year's Eve if that's what you mean. I'm simply going to tell her about this pregnancy."

"Why are you trying to hide this from everybody? I can understand not telling strangers and the people at the hospital, but why are you hiding it from your own mother? Don't you think that she would like to know what happened to her daughter?" He couldn't understand her rationale for this.

"I don't want her to worry about me." Lucy replied, going back to drying the bowl that was in her hand.

"She's your mother. She's going to worry about you now matter what you tell her." Carter pointed out. "What's the real reason?"

"That is the real reason." Lucy lied.

"I don't believe you." He told her plainly.

She placed the bowl on the counter and closed her eyes, releasing a sigh. She hated that he always seemed to know when she was lying. "Ok fine. You want to know why? I'll tell you." She paused. "I hate watching others look at me with pity. I don't want it, I don't need it, and I just hate it."

"Nobody will pity you." Carter assured her.

She laughed and shook her head. When she raised her eyes to meet with his, she revealed a quiet anger. "You do." She whispered.

"I don't…"

She interrupted him before he could get a full sentence out. "Don't even try to deny it. I've seen it your eyes ever since I told you what happened." She closed her eyes and picked up the bowl that she had dried. Walking across the kitchen to put it away, she continued talking. "It's bad enough to see that look in your eyes. I couldn't handle it coming from more people. That's why I haven't told Shelby, Dave, my mom, or anyone else that knows me well."

He hadn't realized that he was looking at her with pity. He didn't mean to, and if it was bothering her, he would make a consorted effort to quit that. "I didn't realize."

"It's not your fault." She shook her head.

He closed the space between them and enveloped her in an impromptu hug. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you. I'm sorry."

"I know." She whispered, enjoying the closeness of his embrace. She was beginning to think that she enjoyed this kind of closeness too much. She was depending on him too much, just another reason to move out soon. She reluctantly pulled away and went back to drying more dishes.

Carter reluctantly also went back to the chore they were taking care of. After a few moments of silence, he spoke again. "So why won't you accept my offer? Is it because you believe that I offered out of pity? 'Cause I didn't."

She sighed, realizing that she was a fool if she thought they could ignore this subject all night. "Do we really have to talk about this right now?"

"Yes, I think we do." He told her. "I need to know why you are so against this."

"You don't know what you'd be getting yourself into. You haven't thought this through enough."

"That's not true. I've thought it through." He assured her.

"No you haven't!" Lucy exclaimed. "You've probably only thought about this for a day, maybe even two or three. Am I right?"

"What difference does that make?" He asked, not seeing the big deal.

"Carter, you've always been the type of person to jump into a decision feet first without thinking the consequences through. I'm sorry but I'm not that kind of person."

"I know that." He nodded. "You're the kind of person who dwells on every single possible bad outcome of a decision without thinking about all of the positive outcomes."

"What's so bad about trying to be realistic?" She asked angrily.

"Nothing, but you're not being realistic." He replied, his tone matching her angry tone. "You're being extremely pessimistic. Have you even once thought about how nice it would be to not have to go through this alone? Maybe for once you should jump into a decision feet first!"

"Whatever." She shrugged, putting down the towel and walking out of the kitchen. This conversation was giving her a headache.

He followed her into the living room. "Lucy!" Calling out her name made her stop walking but didn't make her turn around.

"What?" She snapped.

"Nothing." He replied, turning to walk back into the kitchen. He was going to plead his case to her, but she didn't seem to be receptive to that right now so he decided to wait until later.

She turned around to see him walking back into the kitchen and immediately felt guilty for snapping at him. She slowly made her way back into the kitchen and stood in the doorway. "My emotions have been all over the place lately. I snapped at Shelby yesterday and now I'm snapping at you. Neither of you deserved it. I'm sorry."

"It's ok." He nodded.

"I don't think that your offer is a good idea because I don't want to put this responsibility on you. You've been great to me throughout this whole situation but I don't want to take advantage of that kindness. You have a big heart Carter and I know that you'd do anything for people that you care about…"

He decided to interrupt her there. "And I do care about you Luce. You're my best friend…"

"Please don't interrupt me until I'm done?" She asked, interrupting him. After seeing him reluctantly nodded, she continued. "Honestly, I'm not sure if you've thought this through enough and I'm not sure I can take the risk of accepting your offer."

"Are you done now?" He asked hesitantly.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Go ahead."

He paused, collecting his thoughts before speaking. "I don't know how I can get you believe that I have thought this through enough, but I have. Please trust me on that. I'm not offering this out of pity. That's not how I live my life and you know that. I'm offering this because I think it is a good idea. Think about it. Not only can you avoid having to tell people the truth about your pregnancy, but you also get someone to share in this experience with you and I want to share in this experience with you. Please let me be the father of your baby." He saw that she wasn't convinced yet and continued to talk. "Look Luce, neither of us had the perfect childhood. My parents hardly ever paid attention to me and you grew up without a father. Wouldn't it be nice to give this baby a real family with two parents?"

She closed her eyes, taking in the words that he had just spoken. A real family—just herself, Carter, and this baby. That sounded nice, really nice. But they wouldn't be a real family. They would just be two people agreeing to raise a child. Shoving that thought to the back of her head, she again considered his offer. A part of her really wanted to accept it. She couldn't help but admit that she liked the idea of raising this baby with him. But would he really be happy being stuck with her and the baby? She had looked into his eyes while he was trying to convince her and saw the excitement radiating off of him. That made her believe that maybe he would be happy with her. "I don't know. I don't want to brand you with a baby that isn't yours." She paused. "What if I get too used to you being around and then all of a sudden you leave? What am I supposed to do then?"

"I'm not going to leave." He assured her.

"You already cut me out of your life once. I don't think I could handle it if you did that again." She whispered.

He finally understood why she was having trouble accepting his offer. She was afraid that he was going to turn her back on her. It was a justified fear considering that he had turned his back on her once before. Now he only had to find a way to make her believe that he was never going to leave. He walked over to her, closing the space that was between them and embracing her in a hug. He could feel that she was tense, and rubbed small circles on her back in hopes of helping her relax. "Luce, if you want me to I'll apologize about the past for the rest of my life because I am truly sorry about the way I treated you back then. I was incredibly stupid to let you out of my life, and I refuse to let you go again."

She closed her eyes, letting herself start to relax in his embrace. So this offer is part of his plan to secure a permanent place in her life. Did she want him to have a permanent place in her life? Of course she did, but it wasn't that simple. With every passing moment…every glance…every touch…she was becoming more and more aware of the fact that he really did have romantic feelings for her. There was something about the way he talked to her while trying to convince her which made her excited and scared out of her mind. Romance was the last thing on her mind, yet she couldn't deny that she loved him. It was all so confusing to her and there was only one thing she was certain of right now. She did not want to keep having this conversation with him every day. She pulled away from him and looked him in the eyes. "Are you sure that you want to do this?" Before he could answer, she held her hand up to stop him from speaking. "Are you absolutely, one-hundred percent sure that you have no doubts about this? Are you sure that you can handle being a father and are you sure that you aren't going to suddenly disappear one day?"

He smiled, realizing that she was very close to accepting his offer. "I am sure that I want to do this. I have no doubts, and I know that I can handle being a father. I am also sure that I'm never going to just disappear."

She sighed, rubbing her temples. She had a bad feeling about this, but she squelched that feeling. "I am probably going to regret this at some point…but ok. I guess we can at least give this a shot."

His smile turned into a full-fledged grin when he heard her words. "Really? You sure about this?"

She laughed. "No, not really but I guess I'm taking your advise by jumping into a decision feet first."

He hugged her again. "You won't regret this decision."

She laughed again. "I better not, or else I'll never take your advice again."


	26. Going Home

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-Six

**A/N: Enjoy!**

Lucy threw her backpack on the couch and picked up a notepad that was sitting on the coffee table. It was morning and she was trying to leave the apartment before Carter got up. After finding a pen, she started writing him a note.

"You don't need to write me a note. I'm already awake." Carter said, approaching her.

"Oh." Lucy replied. "Ok. Well I'm about to leave." She turned around and saw that he was dressed and had a bag in his hand. Her eyes grew narrow, already knowing the answer to her question before asking it. "What are you doing?"

He looked down at his bag and then up at Lucy. "I'm going with you."

She shook her head. "No you're not."

"Why not?" He asked impatiently. He wasn't sure why she didn't want him to go with her.

"Well for one, I never invited you." Lucy replied. She put her hands on her waist, not understanding why he wanted to come with her.

"So?" He asked.

"So why do you expect me to let you come along?" She asked.

"Well, I haven't seen your mom in…well over twelve years, and I thought it might be nice to see how she's doing…"

She laughed. "You just want to see my mom?"

He immediately realized what his statement was implying. "I didn't mean it like that…"

She laughed harder. "I know. It's still funny though…in an odd way."

"I thought that since you're telling your mom about the baby and you agreed to let me…"

She interrupted him. "Do you really want to be around my mom when I tell her that I'm pregnant and then announce that you're the father?"

He knew that her mom would undoubtedly be mad at him when Lucy explains that he got her pregnant. Actually, mad wasn't the right word. Blindingly furious might be a better way to describe it, but he simply smiled. "What can I say? I'm a masochist."

She sighed. She had intended on this trip as being a way to escape from Chicago and from the feelings she was starting to acknowledge about her relationship with Carter. Now Carter wanted to go with her. Should she let him? She laughed at the reaction her mother was probably going to have when she told her the news. Maybe having Carter there would be a good idea. Her mom would most likely be so upset at him that she wouldn't be angry with her. After mentally scolding herself for that mean thought, she looked at Carter again. "Well, you have already packed a bag. But what about work?"

"I already took care of that. Dave owes me a favor so he's taking my shift today and I'm using a vacation day for tomorrow." Carter replied.

"You were that confident that I'd let you come with me?" She smiled.

"Well, if you didn't let me come with you my back-up plan was to follow you down there." He explained. "So does that mean I can come?"

"I don't know why you'd want to, but sure." She shrugged. "I guess it's ok."

"Great. We can take my jeep if you want." He offered. "And I'll drive."

"Ok." She relented, picking up her backpack and heading out the door with him.

* * *

The three-and-a-half hour trip to Indianapolis was delayed into a four-hour trip when they got stuck in heavy traffic, but they soon reached their destination. "It's the third house down on the left." Lucy instructed as Carter drove down the street. She was nervous now that they were so close to her house. Nervous about what her mother would say about her pregnancy, and nervous about what she would say about Carter's role in this. Her mother's opinion about Carter had changed dramatically during the past twelve years. She no longer thought of Carter in a positive light. Maybe that was partially Lucy's fault for sharing her anger about Carter's abandonment with her mother. She shoved those thoughts into the back of her mind. 

He stopped in the driveway of the third house down on the left and took a look at the house. It was a two-story red brick house with a wrap-around porch. He especially liked the swing that was hanging on the porch. It looked like a real warm and comfortable home. "It's nice."

"Thanks. I've always liked it." Lucy smiled. She got out of the jeep and retrieved her backpack. Then she headed up the driveway to the front door. After taking a look behind her and seeing that Carter was still at the jeep getting his bag, she rang the doorbell. She could have just used her house key, but decided against it.

"Lucy!" Barbara Knight exclaimed, hugging her daughter tightly. "It's been too long since I've seen you."

"I just saw you last Christmas!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I know, but that was two months ago." Barbara smiled as she let go of her daughter. "How are you?"

"Fine." Lucy smiled. She saw her mother's smile turn into a look of confusion and knew that Carter must be standing behind her. She turned around to see that she was right; Carter was standing behind her. Turning back around to face her mother she announced, "guess who came with me!"

"Carter. It's been a while since I've seen you." Barbara commented coolly. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, and you?" Carter smiled, already getting the feeling that her mother didn't like him much. In the past, her mother had always been nice to him. This new dislike concerned him. If she didn't like him now, how was she going to react to their announcement later on?

"Fine." Barbara nodded. The excitement over seeing her daughter was promptly replaced with curiosity about why her daughter had chosen to bring Carter home with her. She had been right in her assessment of the situation when Lucy first called. There was something going on in Lucy's life that she wasn't telling her mother, and it somehow involved Carter. She wasn't sure yet if that was a good or a bad thing. "Please, come in." She motioned for them to come inside and then shut the door once they had entered the house.

Carter looked around the living room, admiring the décor. The décor wasn't anything fancy, but it was classy and comfortable at the same time. The house felt warm and welcoming, something his family's house never felt. He sat down on the soft, white couch next to Lucy.

"Can I get either of you anything to drink?" Barbara asked, still standing up.

"No thanks." Carter and Lucy replied in unison.

"I was working on lunch before you showed up. Are you hungry?" Barbara asked. She noticed that they both nodded their heads. "I'm sorry that we're just having sandwiches. I wasn't aware we were having company."

"That's ok mom. Carter won't mind eating sandwiches." Lucy smiled.

"Yeah, I love sandwiches." Carter interjected.

Barbara looked at Lucy then at Carter before settling her gaze once more on her daughter. Something was definitely going on between them. The looks on their faces reminded her of their childhood. Whenever they were about to get in trouble, they always had this distinct look on both of their faces. She wondered what kind of trouble they were in this time, and she also wondered how long it would take them to tell her about it. She got up, heading towards the kitchen. "Lucy, would you mind helping me in the kitchen?"

"Sure." Lucy agreed. "I'll be right there." She waited until her mom was safely in the kitchen before turning to Carter. "She knows something's up." She whispered.

"How do you know that?" he whispered back.

"She's my mom. I can read her like a book." Lucy explained. "She's suspicious. When should we tell her?"

"We? We get to tell her?" Carter asked. He was surprised because he thought that Lucy was going to be telling her mom alone. "I thought you'd be doing that by yourself."

She swatted his arm. "Yes we! I'm not telling her alone. So? When?"

"Do you want to do it over lunch?" Carter asked.

Lucy nervously bit her lip. "I guess so. We might as well tell her and get it over with."

He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It will be fine."

She gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I better go help her with lunch." She got up from the couch and entered the kitchen. "So what can I do to help?"

"Can you get the drinks ready?" Her mom asked as she finished making the sandwiches.

"Sure." Lucy agreed, heading over to the refrigerator.

"So why didn't you tell me that you were brining Carter with you?" Barbara asked after a few moments of silence.

"I didn't know he was coming until this morning." Lucy replied.

"Why did he come?" Barbara asked, trying to get some information out of her daughter.

Lucy noticed that she had poured all of the drinks and noticed a way to dodge her mother's last question. "I'm going to put these drinks on the table."

* * *

While Lucy had been in the kitchen helping her mother with lunch, Carter had been wandering around the living room, looking at the many pictures of Lucy that lay scattered about. There were a lot of pictures of her as a little girl and there were also some of her during her high school years. It amazed him that he could remember when most of the pictures were taken. There was one of Lucy on her sixth birthday, one of Lucy and Carter when there were in their third grade play, and many other candid shots of her childhood. He took a look at her high school graduation photo and smiled when he saw the huge smile on her face. She was throwing her cap in the air like Mary Tyler Moore. For some reason, Lucy had always had this strange fascination with throwing her hat up like Mary Tyler Moore. He had never understood it, but she always got a kick out of pretending to be her. His eyes finally settled on a framed picture that was sitting on the mantle of the fireplace, slowly picking it up. Lucy looked to be maybe seventeen or eighteen in the picture. With her golden hair locked behind her head in a ponytail and her face unmarred by make-up, she looked gorgeous. She had her arms wrapped around her mother's neck from behind and was grinning like a Cheshire cat. Her mom was also smiling and it would have been obvious to even a stranger that the two women were very close. 

Lucy appeared next to him and cringed. "Don't tell me you're looking at that picture! Of all the pictures you could look at, you have to choose that one? I look horrible in it." She complained, shaking her head.

He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't noticed Lucy approach him. "You could never look horrible to me. You've always been and always will be beautiful." He told her, placing the picture back on the mantle.

She looked at him, speechless because of what he had just said. It was statements like that which scared her immensely.

He sensed her discomfort over his words and decided to change the subject. "Is lunch ready?"

"Yeah." She nodded, not really paying attention to his question. He smiled at her and then continued on to the dining room. After taking a moment to collect her own thoughts, she followed him.

* * *

Halfway into lunch, Barbara knew that her daughter was trying to avoid all of her questions and frowned. The last thing she wanted was to see her daughter get hurt again, especially by Carter. She remembered how long it took Lucy to get past her anger and hurt over Carter's actions, and wondered if Lucy was completely over her anger and hurt yet. The two of them seemed to have gotten their friendship back, but had Lucy completely forgiven him yet? Plastering a new smile on her face, she sat her glass of iced tea back on the table. It was a long, mahogany table that could seat up to six, although they only needed three seats for this meal. She had noticed earlier that Carter and Lucy were once again sitting next to each other and chose to sit at the head of the table. 

"This is good." Carter commented.

"Yeah, it is." Lucy echoed.

"I'm glad you think so." Barbara replied.

Lucy knew that she had to tell her mom what was going on eventually, and decided that now was as good of a time as any. Taking a deep breath, she prepared herself. "Mom, I have something that I need to tell you."

"I knew that something was going on. Lucy, you know that you can tell me anything, right?" Barbara asked.

"I know." Lucy replied, not looking her mother in the eyes. "Um, I don't know how else to say this…but I'm pregnant and Carter is the father." As soon as she said it, she took a drink of her iced tea and waited for her mother's reaction.

Barbara was stunned. "What?" She exclaimed.

Lucy looked down at her plate. "I'm pregnant."

Barbara stared at the corner of the dining room. This wasn't what she had expected her daughter to tell her. She thought maybe Lucy was going to announce that she was dating Carter. She never in a million years thought that Lucy would be announcing that she was having a baby. She was still practically a child herself! She sat there thinking about what Lucy had said and now understood why Carter had decided to come along with her. At least he had the manners to be here to support Lucy while she told her mother.

When her mom didn't say anything for a while, she nervously looked over at Carter and then back at her mom. "Mom? Aren't you going to say anything?" It was very uncharacteristic for her mother to be speechless. Usually her mother would have started yelling by now. In fact, Lucy was starting to think that it would be better if her mother would yell at her. This calm response eminating from her mother was concerning her greatly.

"I don't know what you want me to say Lucy. I never expected you this from you." Barbara finally replied. She stood up from the table and placed her napkin next to her plate. "Excuse me, but I need to go get some air."

Lucy watched her mom leave the house and released a deep breath. "I never thought I'd say it, but I wish she was yelling at me." She threw her own napkin onto her plate, too upset now to eat.

"She's just shocked." Carter told her. "You've finally managed to make her completely speechless."

"I know." Lucy nodded, to upset to enjoy that small victory. "I just hate the fact that I've disappointed her."

He moved his chair closer to hers and let her place her head on his shoulder. "Everything's going to be ok." He told her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Don't you ever get tired of being the optimist?" Lucy asked.

"Nope, never." He smiled.


	27. What's Your Hobby?

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-Seven

**A/N: I hope everyone is still enjoying this story:)**

Barbara was only on the porch for about ten minutes before she saw Lucy slowly approach. She took one look at her daughter and then went to sit on the porch swing, motioning for Lucy to join her. She had never wanted her daughter to go through the kinds of things she herself had gone through. Raising a daughter alone was, and still at times like these, the hardest thing she's ever had to do. But she knew that she couldn't be mad at Lucy because what her daughter needed right now was support.

Lucy joined her mother on the porch swing and sat there with her hands clasped together in her lap. "I'm sorry mom. The last thing I've ever wanted to do was disappoint you." She whispered.

"I love you Lucy," Barbara put her arm around Lucy, "and you haven't disappointed me. I'm very proud of you."

"How can you say that? I'm single and pregnant! You've spent my whole life warning me against being in this situation, but here I am anyway!" She started to cry.

"Lucy, I'm not disappointed in you. I'm just worried about you. Raising a child is hard work. I worry about what's going to happen to your medical career."

"You went back and finished your education after you had me. I figure if you can do it, then I can too." Lucy sniffled. "I know it's not going to be easy but I had a great role-model."

Barbara smiled. "I have no doubts in my mind that you are going to be a great mother. You're smart, strong, determined, and compassionate. I just…this wasn't the way I had envisioned you telling me I would be a grandmother."

"I'm sorry about that."

"Don't be. Don't ever be sorry about a child. Even though some children aren't planned, every child is a blessing from God—a pure gift sent from heaven." Barbara replied. "So you and Carter…how long have you been dating and why didn't you tell me?"

Lying to her mother was proving to be harder for Lucy than she originally thought. "We aren't exactly dating."

"Oh?" She looked over at her daughter. "Then how…?"

"A one-night stand." Lucy replied, keeping her gaze on the ground.

"I see." She looked at her daughter. "Do you love him?"

"Mom!" Lucy rolled her eyes. She didn't want to have this conversation with her mother…especially right now.

"Don't mom me! Do you love him?" Barbara asked, already knowing the answer. She could see it written on her daughter's face. She loved Carter. Now she just had to get Lucy to admit it.

"I love him as a friend, mom—only as a friend. Anything else would be too complicated." Lucy replied. She really hated lying to her mom, and this was lie number two today. But lying to her mom was something she felt she had to do.

She could sense that her daughter was uncomfortable talking about this with her. "Well I see that I need to have a little conversation with Carter then." She stood up and started walking towards the door.

"Mom! Wait!" Lucy called, rushing over to block the door with her body before her mom could enter the house. She knew what that look on her mother's face meant, and she didn't really want to subject Carter to her mother's interrogations.

"Lucy, please move out of the way. I would like to talk to Carter privately." Barbara calmly said. She noticed the look of concern on her daughter's face. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kill him or anything. I would just like to talk to him."

Lucy wasn't sure it was a good idea, but relented. There really wasn't any way that she could stop her mother anyway. Once her mother set her mind to do something, she always followed through. She moved out of the way and let her mom back inside the house.

Barbara smiled at her daughter before going back into the house. She found Carter sitting patiently on the couch. "So, how are things going for you lately Carter?" She sat down in a chair that was across from the couch and stared intently at him.

Carter was confused by the question. He would have guessed that Barbara would have come in here yelling at him about Lucy's pregnancy. He was also thrown by the way her mother was staring at him. "Things are…good." He replied hesitantly. Turning his head to the porch he asked, "is Lucy ok?"

Barbara was thrown by this question, although she shouldn't have been. She hadn't expected one of the first things out of Carter's mouth to be about Lucy's welfare; however, she could remember a time when they were children. Carter was almost obsessed with making sure Lucy was always ok. "She'll be fine." She started concentrating on her next question. "What do you intend to do now that you know Lucy is having your child?"

"I intend on being a part of both Lucy's and the child's life." He reassured her.

"Both Lucy and this child deserve much more than a part-time father." Barbara pointed out.

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I don't intend on being a part-time father." Carter replied, quickly realizing that he was going to have to work hard in order to convince her mother about this. "I'm in this for the long haul; I can assure you of that. I plan on supporting them financially and emotionally. Lucy's not going to have to be a single parent."

Barbara could tell that he was being sincere and meant every word of it. His sincere words did nothing to calm her anxiety over the situation though. When she told Lucy's father about the pregnancy, he too had agreed to be a part of Lucy's life. He had agreed to many of the same things Carter had just assured her of. But Lucy's father was gone from her life by the time she reached her third trimester. Plus, Carter had a track record of abandoning Lucy. Her fears resulting from her own experience and Carter's penchant for ditching her daughter only bred wariness over Carter's proclamations.

He could see that Barbara was still not convinced about his dedication to Lucy and the baby. "I'm not the type of man who would just leave his…" What was Lucy to him? She wasn't really his girlfriend and definitely wasn't his wife. She was just the woman he loved. "I wouldn't leave Lucy or the baby."

She noticed that he hesitated when he was about to clarify his relationship with her daughter. It intrigued her that he didn't call her his girlfriend, but he also didn't call her just his friend. Her eyes narrowed. "Just what is your relationship with my daughter?"

He should have expected this question, but it still caught him slightly off-guard. "I…uh…Lucy is my best friend." He wasn't sure how honest he should be with Lucy's mother.

"But you must have had some kind of attraction to her or else she wouldn't be pregnant." Barbara pointed out. Something wasn't right with this situation, but she wasn't sure what it was.

"Well, of course." Carter stumbled. "But we haven't exactly discussed having any kind of relationship other than a friendship."

"Why not?" Barbara asked.

He was desperately trying to come up with an answer. "Because it would complicate things."

She thought it was interesting that Carter seemed to use the same words as Lucy. It would complicate things. What things would it complicate? She decided to accept their answers…for now. She would have asked another question but she saw Lucy entering the house.

"Is it ok for me to come back in?" Lucy asked, looking first at her mother and then at Carter.

"Sure. I was done talking to Carter for now." Barbara smiled. "Why don't you two go up and get settled? Lucy you can show Carter to the guest room, right?"

"Sure." Lucy nodded.

"Great. I have to go take care of something at the office but I'll be back shortly." She picked up her purse and her keys from the end table near the door. "Why don't we go out to dinner tonight? My treat? We'll go someplace nice to celebrate."

"Sure." Lucy nodded, wondering why her mother was going to the office all of a sudden.

"Bye." Barbara replied, leaving the house. She had someone she needed to call.

Lucy stood in the living room looking at the door. "She seemed to be acting odd. What exactly did you two talk about?"

Carter stood up and walked over to her. "She was interrogating me about my intentions towards you and the baby."

"Do you think she knows that we're lying?" Lucy asked.

"I don't think so. I think she's just still a little caught off guard about the announcement." Carter replied. "Why? Do you think she knows somehow?"

"I don't know." She shook her head. "She's just acting weird. It's like she's up to something."

Carter laughed. "What could she possibly be doing?"

"I don't know. Maybe I'm being too paranoid." Lucy laughed. "I'm sorry that she interrogated you, but you were the one who wanted to come today."

"Yes, I brought it on myself." He laughed.

"She's very good at interrogating." Lucy pointed out.

"Yes she is. She could be a great detective if she ever decided to leave the real estate business." Carter laughed.

Lucy chuckled. "Yeah, she would be a good detective. She's definitely unwavering in her line of questioning. But seriously, how bad was it?"

He grinned. "I'll live. It wasn't that bad."

"I'm glad. I'd hate for her to scare you off." She laughed.

"Nothing could scare me off." Carter replied in a serious tone.

Lucy knew she needed a way to change the topic because he was looking at her in a way that made her blush and made her feel uncomfortable all at the same time. "Why don't I show you to the guest room?"

"Ok." Carter replied. He grabbed his bag and followed Lucy up the stairs. Once they reached the top of the stairs, he noticed a long hallway with four doors. Lucy pointed to the first door on the left. "This one is my mom's." Then she pointed to the door on the right side of the hallway. "This one's mine."

"Do I get to see it?" He asked, suddenly having the urge to see where she had spent her teenage years.

"Maybe later." Lucy replied, continuing down the hallway. She pointed to the room next to hers. "This is the bathroom. We'll have to share it."

"That's no problem." Carter replied.

She walked into the guest room across the hallway from the bathroom and waited until Carter was in the room also. "This is the guest room."

Carter nodded, taking a look at the room. It was painted a light gray, but the room was not plain. There were paintings all around the room. All of them were of countryside landscapes. He walked over to one and stood there for a few moments, admiring it. "These paintings are very good."

"My mom will be happy to know that you like her work." Lucy told him as she stood next to him.

He looked at her with disbelief. "Your mom did these?"

"Yeah." She nodded. "Everyone needs a hobby. Hers is painting."

"What's your hobby?" Carter asked.

She was surprised by his question. After thinking about it for a moment, she had an answer. "I guess I don't have a hobby. What about you?"

"I don't really either." He replied.

"I don't agree with that!" She laughed. "I think your hobby is finding new and interesting ways to make me laugh."

He chuckled. "No, see you're wrong. That's not my hobby. That's my goal in life. There's a big difference."

She shrugged. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I still think it's a hobby."

"Maybe we could find a hobbies together." He suggested.

"Hate to break it to you, but in a couple of months I don't think we'll have time for hobbies." She pointed out.

"I know." He nodded. "That's why we need to find a hobby quickly and enjoy it while we can."

She laughed again. "You can go looking for a hobby if you want, but don't drag me into this. I don't want a hobby."

"We'll see about that." He grinned.


	28. Calling For Information

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Barbara stood in front of her closet, searching through her clothes for the right dress. Absentmindedly rifling through her dresses, she thought back to the conversation she had a couple of hours ago.

_She sat in the office, pulling her phonebook out of the top left drawer of her desk. She flipped the pages to the C's and scanned the pages for the name she was searching for. "A-ha! I knew I had it somewhere!" With a smile on her face, she picked up her phone and started dialing. _

"_Hello?" The female voice on the other end answered after three rings._

"_Millicent Carter?" Barbara asked._

"_Yes, who is this?" Millicent asked. _

"_It's Barbara Knight, Lucy's mother." Barbara replied. _

"_Oh Barbara! Hello! How are you? It's been quite a long time." Millicent asked, genuinely glad to hear from Barbara. _

"_I'm fine. How are you?" _

"_I can't really complain." Millicent replied. "If you don't mind me asking though, what's the reason for this call? Is Lucy alright?" _

"_Lucy's fine. Actually, she's better than fine." Barbara smiled. _

"_What do you mean?" Millicent asked. _

"_I'll get to that in a moment. I was just wondering if you have noticed any change in Carter and Lucy's relationship." Barbara asked. _

"_No, not really. As far as I can tell, they are still just friends. In fact, Carter has been dating a young woman named Abby who works at the hospital with him." Millicent replied, still baffled about why Barbara was calling her. _

"_Oh really? He's dating someone else?" Barbara asked. After her talk with Carter, she was beginning to like him again. But now after hearing that Carter was dating someone other than her now-pregnant daughter, she reverted back to her earlier impression of him. Maybe he was just like every other man in the worldselfish and stupid._

"_Yes. I think they've been dating for a few months." Millicent replied. "Why?"  
_

"_I was just wondering." Barbara replied. Lucy never told me that Carter was dating someone, and neither of them mentioned that earlier. I wonder what's going on. "Lucy and Carter came by for a short visit today and dropped a bombshell on me. I was just trying to figure out some pieces of the puzzle, but it seems the puzzle has gotten more complicated." _

"_What kind of bombshell was it—if you don't mind me asking?" Millicent asked. She was always curious about what others considered 'gossip', but especially now when it seemed to include her grandson._

_For a moment Barbara wondered if she should tell the woman about Lucy's pregnancy. It seemed like Carter and Lucy hadn't told her yet. Should she be the one to break the happy news? She finally concluded that it wouldn't really hurt anything if she did. "Lucy's pregnant, and it seems that Carter is the father." _

Millicent was shocked. She hadn't been expecting that kind of news. "Wow." That's all that she could say. "I'm going to be a great-grandmother." Millicent stated, still amazed by the news. "They told you this?"

"_Yes, they told me just a couple of hours ago." _

"_I've been trying to find a way to bring them together ever since they attended the Carter Foundation Fundraiser together." Millicent paused. "In case you haven't noticed, my grandson loves your daughter."_

"_And my daughter loves your grandson." Barbara pointed out. "But they won't admit it." _

"_We need to figure out a way to get them to admit it. Are you willing to help me?" Millicent asked. _

_Barbara wasn't sure if she was willing to help the woman. She wanted Lucy to be happy, but she still distrusted Carter and was sure that at some point he would hurt her again. But maybe she was wrong. Maybe Carter wouldn't hurt her. Hoping she wouldn't regret her decision, she agreed. "I'll help you."_

Barbara stared at herself in the mirror. "I made the right decision, right?" she whispered to herself. After agreeing to help Millicent bring Carter and Lucy together, she started to have second thoughts. Something about this whole situation didn't sit well with her. Lucy wasn't telling her the whole truth. If Carter was seeing someone else for the past few months, then that means that he most likely cheated on his girlfriend with Lucy. Carter never seemed like the type of guy who would cheat on his girlfriend though. Perhaps that part of his personality had changed since his adolescence.

Lucy knocked on her mom's bedroom door. When she heard her mom say come in, she opened the door and closed it after she entered.

"Hi sweetie. What do you need?" Barbara asked as she fixed her hair. She took a look at her daughter and frowned. "Why aren't you dressed?"

"I didn't bring anything nice to wear. I didn't know that we would be going out to eat. All I have are jeans. I thought that I had left a couple of skirts behind, but there's nothing in my closet." Lucy replied.

"Say no more." Her mother nodded, getting up and heading to her own closet. She rummaged through her closet for a few moments before picking a couple of dresses. "Here. Why don't you try these on? We're about the same size."

"Yeah, for now." Lucy said, immediately realizing that she had said it out-loud. She hadn't meant to; she had meant for that to be a mental thought. She wasn't sure what her mom's reaction to her comment would be because she still wasn't sure how her mom felt about her pregnancy.

Her mom just smiled at her though. "How far along are you?"

"About two months." Lucy replied.

Her mom's smile got larger. "Yeah, you better enjoy your nice figure now because in a couple of months it will be gone."

Lucy smiled and in a sarcastic tone said, "great."

"Go try those on. One of them is bound to fit."

"Ok. Is it ok if I go ahead and use your bathroom as my dressing room?" Lucy asked.

"Of course." Her mom smiled.

Lucy took the five dresses and walked into the bathroom. She looked at the dresses and immediately ruled out wearing three of them. One was a pale green, another was orange, and then there was one that was pink. None of those colors would look good on her, so she placed them in a neat pile. The last two dresses were much better. She held the first one up to herself as she looked in the mirror. It was a dark blue with a fairly conservative neckline and was knee-length. It also had short sleeves that would easily cover up the stitches she still wore on her arm from Paul's attack. All in all, she liked it. She couldn't remember seeing her mother ever wear it though, so she concluded that it must be a fairly new dress. The second dress was a dark maroon color. This dress was not nearly as conservative as the blue on and Lucy knew that she wasn't comfortable wearing something so revealing. So the choice as a fairly easy one. She placed the maroon dress on top of the pile of discarded dresses and slipped the blue one on. A simple stroke of luck occurred because the dress fit perfectly. She took this opportunity to look at her reflection in the mirror. She hated lying to her mother about Carter's involvement with her pregnancy, and she hated the fact that her mother was giving Carter a hard time about it. Carter didn't deserve her mother's interrogation or hidden anger. He's just trying to help her out. She had considered telling her mom the whole truth, only to conclude that it wasn't necessary. Carter said he didn't mind her mother's interrogation so she wouldn't worry about it anymore. Putting on another smile, she picked up the dresses and came out of the bathroom. "What do you think?" She asked her mom, twirling around.

"You look wonderful." Barbara smiled. "Now I'm glad that I bought that dress last week."

"Thanks mom. I'm gonna go do something with my hair and then I'll be ready to go."

Barbara was already finished with her hair and simply smiled. "Don't take too long!" She called after her daughter. She grabbed her purse and headed downstairs to find Carter waiting in the living room. He was holding a picture of Lucy and staring intently at it. Clearing her throat got his attention quickly. She watched as he tried to quickly get rid of the picture he was staring at and pretend that he was just looking at the end table. She peaked over his shoulder and took a look at the picture he was staring at. It was the one of Lucy at her high school graduation. "That's one of my favorites too." Barbara confessed.

Carter, now feeling a little more relaxed, smiled. "She just looks so happy and carefree."

"Yeah, she does." Barbara replied. She thought about taking this time alone with Carter to interrogate him some more, but decided against it. "Lucy should be ready in a couple of minutes."

"Ok." Carter nodded. He wanted to ask her why she didn't seem to like him much, but that would have been a stupid question. Of course she wasn't going to like him right now. Even if she was alright with the fact that Lucy's pregnant, she still wasn't going to be happy with Carter for getting Lucy pregnant. He still wished that Lucy would tell her mother about the rape, but there was nothing he could do about that. He definitely couldn't go behind Lucy's back and tell her mother about it. That would completely ruin the trust that he had worked to build up since she forgave him for abruptly ending their friendship so many years ago. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Lucy, so he would keep quiet. Besides, Lucy's inability to tell her mother and close friends about the rape provided him with a wonderful opportunity to insert himself deeper into her life. While he felt guilty for thinking that, he didn't feel guilty about his feelings for her. He loved her; he was sure of it. The only thing standing in his way of telling her that was the fact that she was only just beginning to deal with the aftermath of New Year's Eve. She most likely wasn't ready to hear him tell her about his love for her. That would probably scare her off, so for now he was just going to be content with the knowledge that he was going to be able to be the father of her baby.

Barbara watched, as Carter seemed to be completely lost in his own thoughts. She briefly wondered what he was thinking about so intently, but soon realized that it was most likely about Lucy. She had serious reservations about him and his involvement with Lucy, especially after hearing from Millicent Carter about this Abby woman. She had wanted to ask him about her but decided not to ruin dinner. She would ask her questions later this evening. She did notice that he did seem to genuinely care about her daughter. Maybe everything would work out fine. She hoped so for Lucy's sake; however, if Carter hurt her daughter again he would have to answer to her.

"Hey, sorry for keeping you waiting." Lucy said as she came down the stairs.

Carter turned to look at her and his mouth flew open. She looked gorgeous in her blue dress and her hair casually pulled up in the back.

Barbara leaned closer to Carter. "You might want to close your mouth. You're gawking."

He immediately closed his mouth. "Oh." He was slightly embarrassed. "You look beautiful."

Lucy blushed slightly. "Thanks." She looked at his attire. "How come you have dress clothes? Did you somehow know that we would be going out to dinner?"

"No." He shook his head. "I just try to be prepared for everything."

She laughed. "Of course. I should've known." She turned to her mother. "So where are we going tonight?"

"The Eagles Nest." Barbara replied.

Lucy's eyes narrowed slightly at the name. "That's a fairly expensive restaurant."

"I know, but this is a special occasion. It's not everyday that my daughter announces she's pregnant." Barbara smiled. "Well I'm not sure about the two of you, but I am hungry. Why don't we go eat now?"

"Sounds good to me." Lucy smiled. She was surprised when Carter took her hand and held it in his, but relaxed quickly.

Carter knew it was a bold move to grab a hold of her hand like that, but he couldn't help it.

Barbara watched that interaction between Carter and her daughter, wondering what was really going on. Something wasn't right with this picture, and she was determined to figure out the truth.


	29. When's the Wedding Going to Be?

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Twenty-Nine

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

Later that night, Lucy was in the kitchen. She wasn't looking for food though because dinner had been quite filling. It was quite possibly the best meal she had eaten in months. She was getting a glass of water before she went to bed. She heard footsteps and smiled when she saw her mother come into the kitchen. "Hi."

"Hi. Looks like we both needed some water." Barbara laughed, grabbing a glass from the cabinet.

"Yeah." Lucy chuckled.

After she filled up her glass and took a sip, she turned to face her daughter. "You know, I don't think I've said this to you yet but I want to you to know something. I was shocked by your announcement today, but you're my daughter. I love you and I'm proud of you. You're handling this pregnancy in a very responsible way. If there is anything that you need from me, any kind of support or help, I hope you know that you can call me. You're always going to be my baby girl no matter how old you get, but I guess it's time to start treating you like the grown up woman you've become. I never want to see anything or anyone hurt you. If I could, I'd put you in a bubble to keep you safe." She laughed. "Fortunately for you, I can't do that. But I can offer my help. Parenthood is the hardest thing I've ever had to do and I'm willing to do anything to make sure that you aren't as clueless as I was."

Lucy closed the distance between her and her mother, giving her a big hug. "Thank you mom. Having your support means a lot to me. I'm glad that I'm not doing this alone."

"Yes, you have me and you have Carter—assuming that he doesn't leave." Barbara commented.

Lucy pulled away from her mother and frowned. "Carter won't leave me." As she said those words though, she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince. Was she trying to convince herself or her mom?

"Lucy, I know that you don't want to think he will, but what's going to stop him—especially since he has another girlfriend."

"Another girlfriend?" Lucy asked, a little confused and angry.

"Yeah, that Abby woman. You do know about her, right?" Barbara asked.

Lucy smiled and laughed. "Oh! Carter isn't dating Abby anymore. He broke up with her." She continued to laugh until she realized something. "But wait! How did you know about Abby?"

"I…I called Millicent Carter earlier and we had a nice chat about a few things." Barbara confessed.

"You were up to something!" Lucy exclaimed. "I knew it!" She was proud that she knew her mother that well, but also a little curious and dreaded the answer to her next question. "What exactly did you two talk about?"

"Carter, you, Abby, and your pregnancy."

"You told her about it?" Lucy sighed. She wasn't exactly mad at her mother, but she didn't appreciate the fact that Millicent found out about the baby from her mother.

"Yes. You aren't mad at me, are you?" Barbara asked, hoping that she hadn't done anything to make her daughter upset.

"No." Lucy shook her head. "But I'm not thrilled about it. You, Shelby, and Dave are the only ones who we've told." She paused. "What was Millicent's reaction to the news?"

"She was shocked, but happy. I think she's going to like being a great-grandmother." She smiled.

Lucy smiled too, then narrowed her eyes. "Have you called anyone else today?"

"No." Barbara shook her head. "Just Millicent. I haven't told anyone else about the baby. I swear."

"Ok." Lucy nodded, accepting her mother's answer. She took a drink of her water.

"So when are you and Carter going to get married?" Barbara asked casually.

When Lucy heard her mother's question, she choked on her water and spit it out. "What?" She asked, covering her mouth and trying to regain her composure.

"When are you getting married?" She repeated.

"Um, well, we aren't." Lucy replied, still a little shocked by the boldness of her mother's question. "Why would you think that we're getting married?"

"Well you are having a child together. I was just wondering if you had any plans of marrying him." Barbara answered, gauging Lucy's reaction. "Why? Is there some reason why you wouldn't marry him?"

She wasn't sure what to say to this question. "It's just that we aren't together in that way. We're just friends."

"Ok." Barbara replied, knowing that she should back off for now. Her goal of implanting the marriage idea in Lucy's mind was a success. Besides, it was getting late and she was tired. "I'm going to go get some sleep. I suggest you do too."

"I will. I just want to finish my water." Lucy nodded.

"Goodnight Lucy."

"Goodnight mom." Lucy called after her as she left the kitchen. When she was gone, she stared at her glass. Her mother's words rang in her head. When are you and Carter going to get married? Honestly she hadn't thought about marriage before now, but the idea of being Carter's wife definitely made her smile. Sure Carter was going to be in her life forever now that he is going to be the father of her baby, but they weren't going to be a real family. Being his wife and forming a real family was a dream that wasn't going to come true. A year or two from now he may find the woman of his dreams and want to get married. She broke herself out of her thoughts and took one more drink of her water before pouring out the rest in the sink. She made her way back upstairs and stopped in front of Carter's room. She wasn't sure if he was asleep yet or not; she didn't want to wake him up, but thought that he should know about her mother's phone call. Gathering up her courage, she finally knocked on the door.

Carter was getting ready to go to bed. He still had his dress pants on and was unbuttoning his shirt when there was a knock on his door. Not knowing if it was Lucy or her mother, he buttoned his shirt back up before opening the door. He was happy to find Lucy there. "Hey."

"Hey. I didn't wake you, did I?" Lucy asked.

"No. I haven't gone to bed yet. Do you want to come in?" He offered.

"Sure, thanks." Lucy agreed, coming into the room and sitting on the chair in the corner.

"What brings you by?" He asked. He could tell that something was on her mind.

"My mom told me something that I thought you would be interested in hearing." Lucy replied. "Remember earlier I told you that she was up to something?"

"Yeah." He nodded.

"Well I was right." She paused. "When she left here, she called your grandmother."

He laughed. "She called Gamma? Why?"

"I don't know exactly. But your Gamma told her about Abby. Apparently you didn't tell her that you were breaking up with Abby and my mom thought that you were still dating her." Lucy explained.

"Bet she wasn't too happy about that. She already seems to have a bad opinion of me. That news probably only fueled her dislike." Carter guessed. "Did you set her straight about Abby?"

"Yeah." Lucy nodded. "She knows now that you aren't dating her."

"That's good." He took a good look at her. "There's something else though, right?"

"Yeah. My mom went ahead and told her about the baby."

"Did she say how Gamma took the news?" Carter asked. He had totally forgotten about telling Gamma about the baby. He was so busy trying to convince Lucy to go along with his plan and then trying to convince her mother that he wasn't scum that he forgot about having to tell Gamma.

"I guess she was happy about it." Lucy shrugged.

"Of course she's happy about it. She's been trying to get us together for a while now." Carter replied.

Lucy laughed. "Yeah, ever since the fundraiser."

"At least that's one less person we have to tell." Carter spoke up, looking for a positive to this situation.

"Yeah." Lucy replied.

"Are you ok? You look kind of distracted. Is there something else?" Carter asked.

Truthfully, she was distracted. Her mother's words about marrying Carter kept ringing in her head. But she couldn't tell him that, right? "I'm fine." She got up and started towards the door, put Carter lightly grabbed her arm and moved to stand in front of her.

"You're not fine. Something else is bothering you." He stated, looking her in the eyes. "You know you can tell me anything, so why not go ahead and tell me? You'll feel better." He put on a huge smile. "I promise."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "It's nothing. I swear."

"Um, that's not good enough. C'mon Luce. Share with me." He urged.

She sighed. "Ok, fine. My mom asked me a question that threw me for a loop, ok?"

"What was the question?" He asked curiously.

She could feel her cheeks start to blush and really didn't want to tell him, but she knew that he would keep asking her until she relented. "She asked me when we were going to get married." She laughed, trying to alleviate the embarrassment that she felt. Carter wouldn't want to marry her, and this whole situation was making her uncomfortable—especially since Carter wasn't saying anything. She laughed again. "You know, the whole idea of you and me getting married is just…silly. We're just…friends."

Carter wasn't saying anything because he was thinking. Marriage was a good idea, but only if Lucy wanted to get married. However, after the way she just reacted to her mother's question dashed any hopes he had of making Lucy his wife. She seemed to be totally against the idea. He decided to play along and pretend that he was against the idea too so that he didn't have to deal with the embarrassment. "Yeah, we're just friends."

Lucy heard him say that and felt her heart break. She knew that she had to get out of there before she said something she might regret. If she stayed in his room much longer, she would most likely tell him that she loved him. That would definitely be a bad idea. "I'm getting tired. I think I'm going to go to bed. I'll see you in the morning." She walked around him and over to the door.

"Goodnight Luce." He said without turning around to face her. "I hope you sleep well tonight." It would be nice if the nightmares that haunted her would take a night off so that she could get a decent nights' sleep. She deserved at least that much.

"Thanks." She replied with a small smile. She took one last look at him before leaving his room. As soon as she closed his door, she lightly rested her head up against the door and sighed. She loved him; she probably has loved him her whole life. So why, when she was finally able to admit that she loved him, did everything have to be so complicated? Why couldn't she have figured it out and told him before New Year's Eve? If she had, the rape wouldn't have ever happened and she wouldn't be in this situation. Was life trying to play some cruel practical joke on her? Or was this a sign that she should just remain only friends with Carter and bury her true feelings deep inside? It seemed like a million thoughts were running through her mind, but only one was clear. Life wasn't fair.

When she was gone, he turned around and lightly rested his head up against the door. Surprisingly, he hadn't thought much about marrying Lucy until she just brought it up moments ago. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted her as his wife. Sure he was going to be a permanent fixture in her life now because of the baby, but that wouldn't stop Lucy from finding someone else to share her life with. Eventually, she would be ready to move on from the rape and what if she found another guy? What would he do if she fell in love with some other guy? What about if she ended up marrying someone else? This thought disturbed him greatly. He remembered that she said she would only marry someone she loved and who loved her back. So of course that meant only one thing. He was going to have to find a way to get her to fall in love with him. The only question was how was he supposed to do that? She's recovering from a rape, she's pregnant, and romance is the last thing on her mind right now. This was going to be harder than he imagined. As these thoughts swirled through his mind, one thought seemed to be repeating over and over again. Life wasn't fair.


	30. Breakfast Confessions

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty

**A/N: Wow, thirty chapters and over seventy thousand words already. I never expected this story to be so long! Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

Carter walked downstairs the next morning at about eight, dressed and ready for the day. He walked into the kitchen and smiled at Barbara. "Good morning."

"Good morning." Barbara replied before turning back to the pancakes and bacon she was preparing on the stove. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes, I am." Carter replied.

"Breakfast should be ready soon." Barbara announced.

"Ok." He stood in the doorway of the kitchen and decided that now would be a good time to talk to Lucy's mother. "You don't like me much, do you?"

She was surprised by his question and his boldness. "What gives you that impression?"

"When Lucy and I were growing up, you were…well you were different around me. Now I get the impression that you hate me or something." Carter explained.

"I don't hate you." Barbara shook her head. "But you are right. When you two were growing up, I thought you were a great kid."

"And now?" He was curious and a little worried about her current opinion.

She turned to look him in the eye. "Now I'm not so sure what you are." Barbara honestly told him. Then she went back to making breakfast. "You know, I'm still shocked that Lucy forgave you for what happened all those years ago. If you had seen the way it affected her, well…" She trailed off. "She cried every night when she thought I was already asleep. She just couldn't understand what she had done or said to make you hate her so much."

"I didn't hate…" He interjected.

She interrupted him as he tried to interrupt her. "I didn't say that you did hate her. I simply told you what she thought. She thought she was to blame for you ending your friendship and, no matter how hard Shelby and I tried, we couldn't convince her that she wasn't to blame. She felt like there was something wrong with her that made you leave."

He sat there absorbing all the new information. Lucy had never told him any of this, but it definitely shed some light on why it was so hard to get her to forgive him. "I had no idea she felt that way."

"Of course not because Lucy didn't want you to know." Barbara replied.

He was confused now. "So why did you tell me if she didn't want me to know?"

"Because I'm her mother and it's my job to look out for her." She paused. "I also told you in order to warn you not to hurt her again. Yesterday you and Lucy came by here and dropped the bombshell that you have had this one-night stand and my daughter is suddenly pregnant. I'm ok with that. I can even be happy about it, but I can't shake this feeling that there's something wrong with this picture. I don't know what, but my maternal instincts are screaming that there's something Lucy isn't telling me. I think you know what it is. Can to enlighten me?"

He didn't want to lie to her mother but he couldn't tell the truth either. "No. We've told you the whole story."

"Is that so?" She laughed. "Then why didn't you mention Abby?"

"Because she's not someone who needs to be mentioned. Yeah I dated her for a few months, but it was nothing serious. It's over now and there's nothing else to be said about it." Carter replied.

"And there's nothing else that you two haven't told me?" Barbara asked.

"No. That's it." Carter lied.

Lucy came down the stairs, stifling a yawn. She hadn't slept well, but not because of nightmares for once. She was kept awake because of her mother's question of marriage. The question lingered in her head like a deep fog, clouding every other thought she had. She was about to enter the kitchen when she heard her mother and Carter talking. Curious, she stepped back a couple of feet and listened intently.

She knew that Carter was lying. She could tell that, whatever it was, he was keeping this secret for Lucy. If she wanted to know what her daughter was hiding, she would have to drag it out of Lucy herself. She placed a small stack of pancakes on a plate and then piled a couple of pieces of bacon on the side before handing the plate to him. "Here."

He accepted the plate. "Thank you." He took the plate.

"So are you and Lucy going to get married?" Barbara asked casually. She had already asked Lucy that question but was curious about the kind of answer that Carter would give.

He wasn't surprised that she would ask him that. He assumed that she would since Lucy had explained her conversation from the night before. "I would marry her if I could but she won't marry me."

She could have sworn that her heart had actually skipped a beat when Carter had announced that he would marry her, but then her excitement faded somewhat. Did he want to marry her as part of his plan to help her out with the baby? Or was he desire to marry her more about feelings of love? She wasn't sure. Knowing Carter it was entirely possible that he would want to marry her in order to provide this baby, that wasn't even his, with a stable home.

"Have you asked her?" Barbara asked, confused by his statement. Lucy didn't mention Carter proposing to her, however she suspected that Lucy was keeping a lot of things from her.

"No." He shook his head. "But I know what her answer would be."

"Then how do you know what her answer would be if you haven't actually asked her?" Barbara countered.

"Let's just say that I know how her mind works most of the time." Carter replied sadly. "She doesn't want to marry me."

"I wouldn't be so sure." Barbara muttered softly.

Lucy stood on the other side of the kitchen, still concealed from Carter and her mother. Deep inside there was a part of her that wanted to run into the kitchen and start screaming, 'yes I do want to marry you Carter' but instead of acting on that impulse she walked back out to the living room. Plastering a smile on her face, she took a deep breath and started to walk back towards the kitchen. "Good morning." She greeted both Carter and her mother with a smile.

"Morning." Her mother smiled, handing her daughter a plate of food.

"Thanks." Lucy replied, sitting next to Carter at the small table in the corner of the kitchen. She picked up a piece of bacon and broke it in half, looking over at Carter. "You're quiet this morning." He looked deep in thought about something, and she knew that the something was about her. She found it hard to pretend that she didn't know what he was so deep in thought about. "Is something wrong?"

Carter looked over at her and smiled. "No. Just thinking about some things."

"Ok." Lucy replied, starting to eat her breakfast. She spent the remainder of the meal talking with her mother since Carter was too engrossed in his own thoughts to talk. When she was done with her plate she started to get up so that she could rinse it out in the sink but her mother took the plate from her hands. "Thanks."

"So what do you want to do today? We could always show Carter the charm of downtown Indianapolis." Barbara suggested.

Lucy playfully punched Carter in the arm to get his attention. "Yeah Carter, are you ready to explore downtown Indianapolis?"

He really didn't want to go this morning. He was still trying to figure out how he was going to get Lucy to fall in love with him without being too obvious or pushing her into it. Besides, maybe it would be good for her to have some alone time with her mother. "Actually, I was thinking about staying here this morning and letting you two have some time alone."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked. She saw something strange in his eyes, like he wasn't telling her the whole story of why he wanted to stay.

"Yeah, of course I am." He assured her.

"Ok." She relented. Then she turned to her mom. "Well it looks like it's just the two of us."

"How about a little shopping spree at Circle Center Mall then?" Barbara asked with a mischevious glint in her eyes. "They have some great stores that sell maternity clothes…"

"Mom! I don't need maternity clothes yet!" Lucy objected.

"Yet being the key word. Eventually you will; why not get a head start?" Her eyes lit up even more. "Ooh and then we can start shopping for the baby! This is going to be so much fun!" She left the room to go start a list of things they could get.

"She's probably going to take me to at least a dozen stores." Lucy looked over at Carter. "Sure you don't want to come with us?"

He laughed. "Oh I'm sure."

Lucy sighed. "Who knew that my mom would be this excited about my pregnancy?"

"I did." He grinned.

Her eyes narrowed and she swatted his arm. "You're just a big know-it-all, aren't you?"

"Yes I am." He nodded proudly. "And it's good you're starting to realize that."

She rolled her eyes, secretly enjoying their playful bantering. "I better go get ready." On an impulse, she leaned down and lightly kissed his cheek. "Thanks for giving me some time with my mom, and well, for everything." Before he could react, she left the kitchen and headed upstairs to her room.

Carter watched her walk out of the room and brought his hand up to the cheek she had just kissed. He knew that he shouldn't read anything romantic into her kiss, but it gave him hope.

* * *

"Take care of yourself and the baby." Barbara smiled as she gave her daughter a hug. "And call me if you need anything." 

"I will mom. I promise." Lucy replied, pulling away from the hug. "But we should get going because Carter has a shift early tomorrow morning."

"Ok, ok. Just one more hug." Barbara conceded, hugging her daughter yet again. "I love you Lucy."

"I love you too mom." Lucy smiled, pulling away from the hug again. "And thank you for today. The shopping spree was unnecessary but a lot of fun."

"Anytime." Barbara replied, watching her daughter climb into the passenger side of Carter's jeep. "Carter!"

Carter was about to get into the jeep when he heard Barbara call out his name, so he brought his face up to meet hers. "Yes?"

"Take care of her," she paused, "and yourself." She gave him a small smile. He really did seem to care about Lucy, and perhaps it was time to move on from the past. Lucy has obviously forgiven Carter, so maybe it was time that she do the same. Although she vowed to herself that if he ever hurt Lucy again, he would have to deal with her.

He smiled back at her, realizing that she was starting to like him again. "I will. I promise."

"Have a safe trip back to Chicago." Barbara waved as the jeep backed out of the driveway.

* * *

About two hours into the trip, Carter and Lucy had stopped talking to each other and were both lost in silent reflection. As he drove, he started thinking about the past couple of days. It had been a shock to him when he discovered that Lucy's mom had developed a dislike for him. Lucy had never mentioned that her mom was still angry with him for the past and he never would have guessed that her mom would be the one to hold a grudge against him. Hopefully though he was starting to get back in Barbara's good graces. He looked over at Lucy, who was still staring out the window, and snuck a quick glance before diverting his attention back to the road in front of him. She was amazing. Why had it taken him so long to realize that she was the woman of his dreams? Why couldn't he have figured this out before? If he had only been able to tell her that he loved her a couple of months ago, then maybe they wouldn't be in the position that they were in now. He quickly chastised himself though because that kind of a thought was silly and pointless. What if statements were always silly and pointless. It's not like you could change the past. Of course he would love to be able to change the past and erase the rape from Lucy's mind. But if he erased the rape, then she wouldn't be pregnant. He looked over to sneak another glance at her, but found himself staring into her eyes. 

Lucy had been staring at Carter and was surprised when he turned to look at her. She quickly put a nervous smile onto her face and then went back to looking out the window at the passing landscapes. Before she was caught staring at Carter, she was thinking back on her morning shopping spree with her mom. It was definitely a fun experience. Like she had expected, her mom had dragged her to about a dozen different stores and kept buying her things. She now had a few maternity clothes and some assorted things for the baby. She knew it sounded weird, but actually buying things for the baby made the whole situation seem more real. Before, the baby seemed more like an idea but now it was beginning to really sink in that in about seven months she would be in charge of another human beings' life. She was going to have to take care of him/her and help mold them into an adult. But she wasn't going to have to do it alone. She had her mom by her side…and she had Carter too. She looked over at him, sneaking another quick glance at quite possibly the greatest man she had ever met. No words could ever describe how grateful she was to have him standing by her and offering to help her raise this child. Yes this child was conceived out of an act of violence, but he/she was an innocent in all of this. And because of Carter, her child was going to have a father figure. Since she hadn't had a real father figure in her life, it meant a lot to her that her child wasn't going to have to go throw the same pain as she did.


	31. The Announcement

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-One

**A/N: Thank you so much for the wonderful reviews! They are very appreciated! Enjoy! **

The Next Day

As soon as Lucy heard the phone start to ring, she started saying various cuss words in her mind. She was right in the middle of making dinner and didn't really have much time to talk unless if Carter, Shelby and Dave didn't mind eating a burnt meal. Turning everything on the stove down to low, she rushed over to the cordless phone. "Hello?"

"Luce, it's me." Carter greeted. He was still at the hospital even though his shift ended about a half hour ago.

"Hey, where are you? You were supposed to be home by now." Lucy asked, trying not to sound like she was nagging. She took the phone with her back into the kitchen and continued cooking. "Shelby and Dave should be here any minute now and dinner will be ready in about fifteen minutes."

"I know, and I'm sorry to do this, but I'm gonna be stuck here for at least another half-hour. You should just start eating without me." Carter explained.

Lucy sighed. "You aren't going to leave me here alone to tell our friends, are you?" She hoped not because she wasn't sure she would be able to withstand Shelby's endless questions by herself.

"No, of course not. I'll just be a little late. I promise."

"Ok." She replied. "Just get here whenever you can. I'll keep a plate warm for you in the oven."

"You're the best Luce. I'll be there as soon as I can. Bye." Carter exclaimed before hanging up.

Lucy put the phone down and continued stirring the spaghetti sauce that was cooking on the stove in front of her. She wasn't mad that Carter was delayed at work; those kinds of things happened sometimes. What worried her was that she was going to be left here alone with both Shelby and Dave. When she had called Shelby this morning to invite them to dinner Shelby was more than curious about why, all of a sudden, Lucy was inviting her and Dave over to dinner. Of course Lucy had tried to convince her friend that there was no ulterior motive behind the invitation, but Shelby wasn't convinced. Finally Lucy had to placate her friend by explaining that she and Carter had something they wanted to tell them. She then quickly excused herself from the phone call to avoid the numerous questions she was sure Shelby had about what the announcement was. She still wasn't sure what their reactions will be when they were told that Carter is the father of Lucy's baby. Somehow she doubted that they would accept it as easily as her mother had. There would be doubts…and questions. If there was one thing Shelby loved, it was interrogating people. It had been a hobby of hers ever since Lucy met her. She smiled as she remembered their first meeting.

_Lucy watched from the living room window as the moving truck slowly backed into the driveway of the house next to hers. She waited patiently for the truck to come to a complete stop and for the people inside to get out. The house next door had been vacant for months, and Lucy was happy to see someone moving in. She was even happier when she saw a girl her age climb out of the truck. She had long, brown eyes and eyes as blue as the ocean. Lucy ran into the kitchen, discovering that her mother was making cookies. "New people moved in next door! They have a girl my age. Can I go say hi?" Lucy asked, her voice full of excitement. _

"_Sure." Barbara smiled. "Just don't go anywhere else except next door, and be back in five minutes. These cookies are almost ready and I know you love eating them when they're still hot." _

"_Ok." Lucy ran out the back door and over to her new neighbors' house. She found the girl sitting on the step as her parents started taking boxes out of the truck. _

"_Who are you?" The girl asked as she saw a stranger approach her. _

"_Hi. I'm Lucy Knight." She smiled. _

_The girl looked up at the stranger and gave a slight smile. "I'm Shelby Thomas. You live around here?" _

"_Yes. I live next door." Lucy replied. She was about to ask another question, but Shelby was already speaking again. _

"_Do you like it here?" Shelby asked. _

"_Yes. It's great here." Lucy exclaimed._

"_I don't like it here. I wish I was still in St. Louis. Have you ever been there?" _

"_No. I haven't." Lucy replied. _

"_It's nice. Do you want to sit down?" Shelby asked. _

"_Sure. Thanks." Lucy replied, sitting next to Shelby._

"_So are your parents divorced?" Shelby asked. _

"_Divorced?" Lucy repeated. "No. I don't know my father."_

"_Oh." Shelby replied, looking at the ground. "Sorry."_

"_It's ok." Lucy replied. _

"_My parents are divorced. That guy over there is my stepfather. He's why we moved here. So you live with your mom?"_

"_Yes. It's just me and her." _

"_Do you like that?" Shelby asked, looking over at the girl._

"_Yes." Lucy nodded. "I better get back to my house. My mom is making cookies. Do you want to come over and have some with me?" _

_Shelby thought about it for a moment before her face broke out into a grin. "Sure. Just let me ask my mom." _

The sound of someone knocking brought Lucy out of her trip down memory line and she quickly looked at the stove to find that her spaghetti sauce was about ready to burn. She turned the heat down low and then hurried to the door. "Hey!" She smiled upon seeing Shelby and Dave in the doorway. "Come on in."

"So what's this announcement that you mentioned?" Shelby asked, holding Dave's hand as they entered the apartment.

"You'll just have to wait until Carter gets home to hear it." Lucy smiled.

"Come on! You're keeping me in suspense? That's not fair!" Shelby exclaimed, looking at Dave for some back-up on this issue.

Dave just smiled back at his fiancée. "Sorry, but I'm willing to wait until Carter gets here."

Shelby released the grip she had on his hand and lightly smacked him in the stomach. "Some help you are."

Dave and Lucy just laughed at Shelby's reaction, making Shelby roll her eyes. "So when will Carter get here?" Dave asked.

"He said he'd be here in about a half hour." Lucy replied. "Dinner's almost ready though, so I think we'll go ahead and start eating. Shelby do you want to help me get the drinks ready?"

"Sure." Shelby replied, thinking that this would be a good opportunity to pump Lucy for information on this supposed announcement. She gave Dave a quick kiss and then scurried into the kitchen behind Lucy. "Ok. So now that we're alone, why don't you tell me why you asked Dave and I to dinner tonight?"

Lucy sighed, realizing that Shelby wasn't going to give up. "I'm not telling you, so please quit asking."

Shelby didn't want to quit asking. She wanted to know what was going on. All day she had been thinking about what this announcement could be. Could it be that Carter and Lucy finally admitted their real feelings for each other? Does it have something to do with Lucy's pregnancy? She was dying to know what was going on and she hated being the last one to know. But she could tell by the tone of Lucy's voice that she wasn't going to get any new information out of her friend and decided to drop that subject. "So what do you want to drink?"

"Iced tea." Lucy replied. "But feel free to help yourself to a beer."

Shelby got the iced tea for Lucy and pulled out two beers for her and Dave. "Need any more help?"

"No thanks." Lucy shook her head. "I've got everything under control. Just go sit at the table and I'll bring everything out in a few minutes."

"Ok." Shelby nodded, leaving the kitchen with the drinks.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they were all eating the meal. It was a simple meal consisting of spaghetti, garlic bread, and a salad. They had stayed away from complex topics of conversation and opted to stick with small talk. Lucy wasn't sure how much longer she could keep Shelby from hounding her about the announcement. She noticed that her friend was eying her suspiciously, as if trying to decipher what the announcement was from her external appearance. Lucy let out a sigh of relief when she saw Carter come through the door. 

"Hi. Sorry I'm late. The ER was crazy today." Carter apologized, walking over to the table and standing behind Lucy's chair. He briefly thought about placing his hands on her shoulders, but rejected that idea because he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"That's ok. Lucy's kept us entertained." Dave smiled.

"Yes, but she won't say one word about why we're here." Shelby interjected.

Lucy was very aware that Carter was standing right behind her chair and it definitely had an effect on her. She immediately felt more at peace just knowing that he was near. Standing from the table, she faced Carter. "I saved you some food. It's in the kitchen. I'll go get it." She wasn't surprised when he followed her into the kitchen.

"So, how bad has Shelby been tonight?" Carter asked with a grin.

Lucy shook her head. "She's been ok. I think she's really trying to be patient, but it's not a personality trait that she possesses."

He chuckled, then there was a silence as he watched her get his food from the oven. "How are you?"

"I'm…fine." Lucy nodded. She was practically fine so it wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth. If she had been truthful, she would have told him that she wasn't fine and she was conflicted by the fact that she loved him yet couldn't act on those feelings.

"When do you want to tell them?" He asked taking the plate that she handed him.

"Sooner would be better." Lucy smiled.

"Ok. Do you want to or should I?" It didn't matter to him whether he told them or if Lucy did it. But if Lucy didn't want to do it, he would step in.

Lucy made a face and sighed. "I guess I probably should."

He gave her a reassuring smile and kissed the top of her head. "Ready to go back out there?"

She was a little distracted by the kiss that he placed on the top of her head, but managed to nod her head and follow him back out to the table.

Carter sat down and started to eat, aware of the fact that Shelby was staring at him. She was undoubtedly waiting for the announcement.

Lucy looked at Shelby and Dave, giving them a small smile. Biting her lip, she counted to three before deciding to tell them the news. "So, I guess you're probably wondering why we asked you here."

"Uh yeah!" Shelby smiled.

"Well," Lucy looked over at Carter and then back at her friends, "as you know, I am pregnant." She figured that Dave most likely already knew that since Shelby wouldn't have been able to keep something like that a secret from him. "So Carter and I decided to invite you over here to let you know about something important. Carter and I had a one night stand awhile ago and Carter is the father of my child." Lucy looked at her friends, who were speechless, and then over at Carter.


	32. You Worry Too Much

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Two

**A/N: Thanks for the reviews! Enjoy!**

…Carter is the father of my child." Lucy looked at her friends, who were speechless, and then over at Carter.

After a few moments of silence, Dave grinned. "Congratulations to both of you! This is great news." He was so happy. Perhaps since they are having a child together they will finally realize how much they love each other.

Shelby was speechless by Lucy's announcement. Something about it wasn't right. First of all, for Lucy to be pregnant with Carter's child that would have to mean that Carter and Lucy had slept together. Lucy had never mentioned that to her, and she was her best friend. Well, one of her best friends. The fact that Lucy hadn't told her that she had slept with Carter was just another painful reminder that maybe Shelby wasn't Lucy's best friend anymore. Second, for Lucy to be pregnant with Carter's child would mean that Carter had cheated on Abby. Carter wouldn't cheat on his now ex-girlfriend though, right? Carter didn't seem like the type of person who would cheat, although there was also a time when she hadn't thought that Carter was the type of person who would completely abandon his friends for shallow popularity. She was wrong then; maybe she was wrong now. Third, Lucy had been depressed for weeks and she still didn't know the reason for the depression. She conceded that it was possible Lucy was so depressed because she thought that Carter didn't care about her, but something in her gut told her that wasn't the reason for her friends' sadness. There were so many holes in this story.

Lucy was glad that Dave seemed so eager to believe the lie about her child's paternity, but was worried about the fact that Shelby had yet to say anything. Taking a look at her friend, she could tell that the wheels inside Shelby's head were spinning a mile a minute. "Shelby? Are you going to say something?"

Shelby looked directly into her friends' eyes. "Can I see you in the kitchen for a moment please?" She was determined to get some answers.

Without a word to anyone else at the table, Lucy followed Shelby into the kitchen. "What?" Lucy asked once they had reached the kitchen.

"I can't figure it out!" Shelby exclaimed.

"Can't figure what out?" Lucy asked, looking at Shelby like she had grown a second head.

"Did you really sleep with Carter? Or are you lying?" A part of her hoped that Lucy had slept with Carter because then maybe her two friends would finally stumble into a relationship that she knew they both wanted. But another part of her hoped that Lucy was lying. If Lucy was lying, then she could get rid of this insecure feeling she had about their friendship.

Lucy took a closer look at her friend and realized what the problem was. Shelby felt slightly betrayed that she hadn't confided in her about her supposed "one night stand" with Carter. She briefly contemplated whether or not to tell Shelby the whole truth about her pregnancy, yet something held her back. She wasn't ready for everyone to know about that. It was bad enough that Carter knew about it; she wasn't strong enough to deal with everyone she cared about knowing the truth. She took a deep breath before another lie passed through her lips. "I did sleep with Carter. It was a one-time thing that happened weeks ago, and I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about it."

"Why didn't you tell me? I thought I was your best friend." Shelby asked sadly.

Lucy shrugged. "I don't know. I guess I just didn't know how to tell you. I was embarrassed."

Shelby knew that it was probably a little petty to be jealous of Lucy's friendship with Carter and the closeness they seemed to share, but she couldn't help it. Even when they were kids she felt like a third wheel around them. Now that they were adults, the third wheel feeling had only intensified. "Are you hiding anything else from me?"

"No." Lucy lied, shaking her head. "I'm sorry Shelby. I didn't mean to keep this from you." She paused and then a small smile formed on her face. "Still best friends?"

Shelby still wasn't convinced that she knew everything about this situation. Something still didn't seem to add up for her, but she knew that she had to be happy for her friends. "Of course." She pulled Lucy into a hug. "I'm happy for you both."

"Thanks." Lucy replied.

"So how did this happen?" Shelby asked, determined to get all of the details concerning Carter and Lucy's tryst. Something still didn't feel right with this whole situation, but she figured it was possible that she was just being too suspicious. She would have to work on getting rid of her suspicions about this whole situation another time. Now it was time to celebrate the fact that her two best friends were having a baby together.

* * *

"What do you think they're talking about in there?" Dave asked Carter as they sat at the table, waiting for the girls to come back. 

"I don't know." Carter replied. "My guess is that Shelby's probably grilling Lucy about the details of how this happened."

Dave laughed. "Yeah that sounds like a very Shelby thing to do." He was quiet for a moment. "I don't mean to be noisy or anything, but how did it happen? I mean you don't have to go into specifics, but what happened?"

Carter was very glad that he had sat down with Lucy and created a cover story to tell everyone. They had decided on a very basic story. They had gotten drunk and then they ended up in bed. It was a simple story that had happened to millions of other people, so it would work for this situation. "Well, one night we started drinking and then ended up sleeping together."

"So it was a drunken one-night stand?"

"Yeah." Carter nodded.

"Did you regret it the next day?" Dave asked, suddenly very curious. He briefly wondered where this curiosity was coming from. He had never been this curious about other people's lives. Perhaps some of Shelby's personality characteristics were rubbing off on him.

He was expecting this question too. "I regretted hurting Lucy and I regretted cheating on Abby. I'd never cheated on anyone before. But even though I was drunk at the time, I did know what I was doing. I just couldn't stop; I love Lucy."

"Does she know?" Dave asked, silently praising Carter for finally waking up and realizing his feelings for Lucy. Now if only Lucy would do the same.

"No," Carter shook his head, "and you can't tell her either. This pregnancy is overwhelming enough for her right now. I don't want to add to it by proclaiming my love. Besides, she it's not likely she would believe me right now anyway."

"I think she would believe you." Dave told him. She'd probably tell you she loves you too.

"Just don't tell her, ok?"

"Ok." Dave nodded. "You've got my word that she will never find out from me."

"Thanks." Carter smiled. He knew that he could trust Dave not to say anything since Dave had given him his word.

* * *

Lucy and Carter sat silently on the couch after Dave and Shelby left. Carter looked over at her and smiled. "That went well." 

Lucy nodded. "Yeah. I guess."

"You don't sound convinced of that." He noted her less than enthusiastic reply.

Lucy looked over at him. "I just feel like there is this gap forming between Shelby and me. She's still suspicious about us."

Us. There really wasn't a 'us'. He wanted there to be a 'us', but there wasn't. He gave her a small smile. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Everything will be ok."

She was silent for a few moments before responding. "Do you ever think that maybe we won't be able to fool everyone? I mean, telling everyone that you're the father of this baby is basically a big prank that we're trying to pull off. I was never good with even small pranks, remember?"

A huge smile formed on his face as he recalled several failed April fools pranks that Lucy had attempted when they were growing up. He never actually fell for one of her pranks, but that was only because her pranks were never planned out well enough. He would never tell her that though. "Does it really matter if people are suspicious about us? Honestly, what does it matter? We're going to be able to fool most of the people we tell, so don't worry about the few that are suspicious. You worry too much."

"I do not!" Lucy protested, lightly slapping his arm.

"Yes you do." He grinned. "That's why I need to find you a hobby."

She laughed. "Oh not this conversation again! I don't need a hobby!"

"Yes you do. Worrying is not good for the baby, so I suggest you stop immediately." He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. "Let me do the worrying for all of us, ok?"

Lucy smiled when he said 'all of us' because he was including the baby. With his arm around her, she couldn't help but feel safe and suddenly all worries she had seemed to be muted. She rested her head on his shoulder and yawned. "You sure you want to do all of the worrying?"

"I'm sure. You need to stop worrying."

She yawned again. "Is that an order Dr. Carter?"

"Yes. It's doctor's orders." He replied with a chuckle and kissing the top of her head. He loved having her this close to him, yet it was also hard for him at the same time. He would give anything to be able to kiss her right now, but it wasn't the right time. So he focused his attention elsewhere. "So do you want to tell everyone at work on your first day back or do you want to wait?" He waited for her reply but it never came. He glanced down at her and saw that her eyes were closed. She had fallen asleep in his arms again. He tightened the grasp that he had around her and felt her instinctively curl up closer to him. After they laid there in that position for awhile, he started whispering. "You do worry too much Luce, but I'm gonna find a way to get you to quit." He waited a few moments before continuing. "I love you Lucy. Maybe someday I'll have the courage to say that to you while you're awake, but for now I guess it will be my little secret. If I'm lucky, maybe someday you'll love me the way I love you. But even if you don't, at least I'll be able to help you raise your son or daughter."

A few minutes after Carter finished speaking, Lucy heard the faint sounds of him snoring. She opened her eyes, letting a tear escape. She hadn't been in a state of deep sleep, she was only dozing on and off. His voice had brought her back from her sleepy state and she had heard every word he said. Did he really love her? He didn't know that she was listening, so he wasn't saying it because he thought she wanted to hear it. He had no reason to lie. So that must mean that he was telling the truth and really did love her. It shouldn't be this surprising to her; she had suspected he had romantic feelings for her. But hearing him quantify those feelings into love was surprising to her. Her first instinct was to shake him awake and tell him that she loved him back, but she quelled that urge. She wasn't ready for any type of relationship, even with Carter. But she desperately wanted to tell him that she loved him, especially now that she knew he loved her. She finally decided it would be pointless to continue having this inner debate with her mind right now, and besides, she was under strict orders from Dr. Carter not to worry so much. She reached up and lightly kissed his cheek, lingering close to his face for a moment, before curling up next to him again and going back to sleep. Just the information that he loved her was enough to make her settle into a nice, peaceful sleep.


	33. Another Surprise

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Three

**A/N: Thanks so much for the kind reviews! I love knowing that my readers are still liking this story. Enjoy:)**

Three months later

Lucy yawned as she made her way down the stairs and into the kitchen. Walking to the cabinet next to the refrigerator, she smiled at Carter.

Carter, who was eating a bowl of cereal and reading the newspaper, looked at Lucy strangely. "What are you doing up this early?" He was up because he had to go to work, but she should still be sleeping. It was only six in the morning. He had expected her to still be asleep when he left for work. "Why don't you go back to bed and get more sleep?"

"Well good morning to you too." Lucy snorted, reaching up for a glass.

"Sorry." He replied. "Good morning Lucy. What are you doing up so early this morning? Is that better?"

"Much better, thank you very much." She laughed. "And for your information, the reason I'm up right now is because I wanted to talk to you before you left for work." When she finished explaining herself, she opened up the refrigerator and pulled out the orange juice.

"Why? What's up? Is something wrong?" Carter asked, hoping that whatever she had to talk to him about was something good. The past few months together have been wonderful for him and he didn't want anything to happen that would spoil that.

"No. It's nothing bad." She shook her head, taking a sip of her juice. "I just have a doctor's appointment this afternoon and I was wondering…well, I thought I'd check and see if you wanted to come with me. I think we might actually be able to find out the sex of the baby this time." She wasn't sure why she was so nervous about asking him to come with her. He had come to all of her previous doctor's appointments so why would this be any different?

He grinned like a fool and put down the spoon that was in his hand. The possibility of finding out if the baby was a girl or a boy was exciting. He wasn't sure which to hope for. He'd love to have a boy that he could play sports with, but he'd also love spoiling a little girl too. "I'd love to go. What time is your appointment?"

"One." Lucy replied, glad that he was coming with her.

"I'll be there." Carter nodded.

"Great. Have fun at work." Carrying her orange juice, she started to leave the kitchen. But she stopped and turned around when she heard Carter's voice calling out to her.

"Lucy?" He waited for her to turn around. "Thanks for inviting me."

She smiled. "You're welcome."

* * *

Lucy came out of the bathroom combing her hair after taking a shower. She looked over at the clock by her bed and saw that she still had two hours before her doctor's appointment. There really was nothing else for her to do, so she laid down on the bed and started to reflect on the events of the past few months. Ever since she heard Carter's declaration of love when he thought she was asleep, a lot of things had happened. The next day, she went to Mercy Hospital and started therapy sessions with Dr. Monroe to purge the bad memories from her mind. The twice-a-week sessions were helping enormously. Her nightmares, which used to haunt her every night, were now only happening once every two weeks. And she was starting to feel better about herself again. While she still believed that she should have fought back harder, she realized that the rape wasn't her fault. She was moving past her trauma and was regaining complete control of her life. She was very proud of her accomplishments. Classes had ended about a week ago, and since she was pregnant, she wasn't going to work at the hospital over the summer. Carter however was working there during the summer, trying to get in as many hours as he possibly could. While she was happy that he was going to get a few months of extra experience at the hospital, a small part of her was jealous. She couldn't work at the hospital and she was also going to have to postpone going back to school for a few months after the baby was born. Her med school track was derailed but his was moving on at warp speed. Inside she knew it was petty and stupid to envy him for that, yet she couldn't help the feelings she was having. Laughing, she blamed it all on her hormones. She had discovered that pregnant women can easily blame any and all mood swings on their hormones, and it was coming in handy lately. Another new thing in her life was the house that Carter surprised her with about six weeks ago. She smiled when she thought back to the day he first brought her here. 

"_Where are we going?" Lucy asked, watching as Carter drove down the streets of Chicago. _

"_I told you that it was a surprise." Carter gently scolded. _

"_Is it a good surprise?" Lucy asked hesitantly. He had said nothing to her about what the surprise he had for her this morning. All he had said was that he had something to show her this afternoon. That left her with no clue about what he was going to show her. It was a good thing she trusted him or else she would be extremely anxious right now. _

"_It's definitely a good surprise…I think." He paused, amending his previous statement. "Well I think it's a good surprise, and I think you will too." _

_She didn't reply with words, only a gentle sigh as they pulled into the driveway of a small, two-story brick house. "Where are we?" _

"_We're about fifteen minutes away from the hospital." Carter replied, getting out of the jeep and motioning for Lucy to join him as he started walking up the driveway to the front door. _

_Lucy hurried after him and soon joined him on the doorstep of the house. She had to admit that it looked like a nice place. "So who lives here? Or can you not tell me that because it would ruin the surprise?" _

_He smiled at her and took out a small set of keys. "We live here. I just bought this place two days ago." _

_  
She stared at him with her mouth hanging open. He bought them a house? He actually bought them a house? He had mentioned something about getting a bigger place before the baby came, but he actually went out and bought a house? She wasn't sure how to react to that. She was both touched that he would do something like that yet also angry that she had no chance to give any input about where they would live. _

"_Luce? Are you just going to stand there with your mouth hanging open all day or are you going to come inside?" Carter asked. He had unlocked the door and was standing on the other side of the threshold. _

_She shook herself out of her thoughts and followed him inside, numbly following him as he gave her a tour of their new home. As soon as she entered the house, she was in the living room. It was a spacious room with a fireplace and crème colored walls. Next to the living room was a fairly large dining room with a chandelier hanging from the ceiling. She followed him into the kitchen and was amazed to see that it was a very nice kitchen. There was even a mini island in the middle and a little counter with bar stools. The next part of the tour was the second floor. After climbing the stairs, she followed him into a bedroom. The walls were painted a nice peach color and Lucy guessed that this would most likely be her room. _

"_I thought this could be your room." Carter told her, confirming her suspicions. "There's a bathroom attached on the side." _

_She didn't say anything as he took her into the next room. It was slightly smaller than her room and the walls were painted a light blue. _

"_I was thinking that this room could be for the baby. That way, your room would be on one side and mine would be on the other." He explained as he led her into the room that he intended to take as his own. "What do you think?" _

_Honestly, she didn't know what to think. It was all so…so sweet. Somehow he kept surprising her. Just when she started to think that he couldn't get any better, he just kept surprising her with things like this. First he agrees to pretend to be the father of her child and now he's buying them a house to live in. He's thought of everything. He really does love me. _

"_Luce? What do you think about the place?" He asked again after a few moments of silence. He was really hoping that she would love the place and wouldn't be upset that he had gone behind her back and bought it without asking first. _

_A huge smile came onto her face and she threw her arms around him, giving him a hug. _

_When he felt her arms wrap around him he wrapped his arms around her tightly, never wanting this moment to end. As corny as it might sound to others, he cherished moments like this with Lucy. _

_Since she was this close to him, she used this as an opportunity to bury her head in his shoulder. Breathing in his scent was almost intoxicating to her and she let herself get carried away for a moment before pulling away. But she couldn't pull away too far and they were still only inches apart. "I can't believe you did this for me. It's…there are no words for this."_

"_You like it?" He asked, really hoping she did. _

"_I love it!" Lucy exclaimed, walking around the room and stopping by the window. Looking out at the view, she spoke again. "You just keep surprising me." _

"_I like surprising you." He smiled, joining her by the window.  
_

"_I don't know what I'd do without you in my life." She confessed. She really wanted to tell him that she loved him but couldn't seem to say that, so this would have to suffice for now. _

_It was his turn this time to envelope her in a hug. As he held on to her, he started gently stroking her hair. "Well then I guess it's lucky that I don't intend on ever leaving your side." _

_She looked down at the floor and smiled. Then she looked back up at him. "And I don't intend on letting you leave my side." Did she just say that? Where did that come from? Sure she was thinking that, but she hadn't meant to say it. Oops. _

_He wasn't sure what to say to her remark. She didn't want him to ever leave her. That was a good thing, but was it because she had feelings for him or she just didn't want him to leave her and the baby? He wasn't completely sure. He wanted it to be that she didn't want him to leave because she loved him. Maybe she did love him but wasn't sure how to say it and wasn't ready to try yet. He kissed her forehead, deciding to change the subject. "So you really like the house? You're not just humoring me?"  
_

_She laughed. "No, I'm not humoring you. I love this place." Almost as much as I love you. _

"_Then welcome home." He grinned._

They've been living in the house for almost a month and a half now and she still loved the house. It wasn't huge, but wasn't small and cramped either. It was just the right size for their little family. Family. It's such a simple word, but it's a complex subject. Were they a family? She wanted them to be. Eventually they would be. She just had to be patient enough to wait for that day to come.


	34. The First Ultrasound

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Four

**A/N: Thanks for all of the wonderful reviews! This story has already become longer than I originally planned it to be, but ideas keep flowing into my brain. So as long as the ideas keep coming, and people are interested, I will keep writing this story. Enjoy! **

Carter hurried down the halls of the ER, impatiently checking his watch and searching for Dave. He soon found Dave coming out of exam room 2. "Hey, can you cover for me for a little while?"

"Why?" Dave asked. If it was for a good reason, he would do this favor for his friend.

"Lucy's got a doctor's appointment at 1 and I promised I'd be there." Carter explained.

Dave looked down at his watch. "It's 1:10."

"I know that." Carter replied impatiently. "I've been busy with a patient that wouldn't stop vomiting. I really need to get going. Will you please cover for me?"

"Yeah man, go. I'll make sure that no one even notices that you're gone. And say hi to Lucy for me." He called out as Carter started running down the hallway to the elevator.

* * *

Lucy laid on the bed and looked around the room at the posters hanging on the walls. She was bored out of her mind. The doctor was running late and Carter wasn't here yet either. She didn't mind that the doctor was running late, but she was a little concerned that Carter wasn't here yet. This was the first time that Carter had ever been late to one of her appointments. She checked her watch. 1:15. Thinking back to this morning, she tried to remember what time she told him the appointment was. She did tell him that it was at 1, right? Of course she did. He wouldn't have forgotten, so that meant that he was most likely stuck with a patient right now. She released a sigh and hoped that he got here before the doctor so that he could see the ultrasound. 

After finding that taking the elevator was too time-consuming, Carter headed for the stairwell and ran up the four flights of stairs to get to the 4th floor. After checking with the receptionist, he made his way over to Lucy's room and tried to calm his heavy breathing. He knocked softly.

"Come in." Lucy said, hoping that the person on the other side was Carter.

"Hey." He opened the door and gave her a smile.

"Hey." She smiled back, relieved that he was there. Then she noticed his odd breathing. "What did you do? Run up here?"

He chuckled. "As a matter of fact, I did. I didn't want to be any later than I already was. And I'm sorry that I'm late. I was with a patient and then I had to track down Dave to get him to cover for me. And you know Dave…he's never where he's supposed to be."

"It's alright. I figured that your tardiness had to do with a patient."

"Dave says hi by the way." Carter announced, standing right next to Lucy's bed. "I didn't miss the ultrasound, did I?" He hoped he wasn't too late.

"No. The doctor's running late. You haven't missed anything." She reassured him. She could see the fear in his eyes that he had missed the ultrasound.

He let out a sigh. "Good."

There was a knock and then the door opened. Dr. Reynolds smiled as she entered the room and saw Lucy and Carter. It was always nice when the father comes to the mother's appointments. She knew that Carter has been to every single appointment and knew that he was taking on an active role in Lucy's pregnancy. It was a refreshing change from the single mothers that she encountered on an almost daily basis. "So Lucy, how are you feeling?"

"Ok I guess, considering…" She smiled and pointed to her expanding belly. "I am a little anxious to find out the sex of the baby. Will we be able to tell from the ultrasound today?"

"I don't see why not." Dr. Reynolds replied as she pulled the ultrasound machine closer to Lucy's bed. She then lifted the gown Lucy was wearing so that Lucy's protruding stomach was exposed. "And what about you Carter? How are you doing?"

"Oh I'm great." He replied with a huge smile.

"Are you making sure that Lucy is eating right and taking her prenatal vitamins?"

"Yes." Carter nodded.

Lucy snorted. "He's almost militaristic about it! Can you please tell him that a little bit of junk food is not bad for the baby?" She pleaded. They had gotten into an argument the other day about why she shouldn't eat chocolate. While she understood that he was just trying to be helpful and caring, she wanted chocolate!

Dr. Reynolds smiled at Lucy. "Of course." She then focused her attention on Carter. "Junk food, in moderation, is not going to hurt the baby's development."

Lucy gave Carter a smug smile. "See? I told you so!"

"Yeah yeah yeah." Carter shrugged.

Dr. Reynolds laughed at the couple's exchange as she spread the jelly-like substance over Lucy's belly. Then she turned on the ultrasound machine and picked up the controller. "Ready to see your baby?"

"Yes." Lucy and Carter replied in unison.

"Ok." Dr. Reynolds moved the controller along Lucy's stomach, finally settling on a spot. A smile formed on her face as she pointed to a small figure on the screen. "There is you baby. That's the head…there are the arms…and there are the legs."

"That's amazing." Carter whispered, grabbing a hold of Lucy's hand.

Lucy was speechless. This was the first ultrasound she had gotten, and seeing her baby on the screen was almost overwhelming. She had recently felt the baby moving around, but now she had a better understanding of the child growing inside her. She just stared at the image on the screen, memorizing every small movement and shape. At the beginning of her pregnancy she had briefly wondered if she was going to be able to love this baby the way if deserved to be loved since it was conceived from a violent act. But now she realized that it didn't matter. It didn't matter that this child was the product of a rape, it didn't matter that a baby was the last thing she had expected to come into her life, and it didn't matter that she doubted her own mothering abilities. What mattered was this tiny new life being shown on the screen. That new life was depending on her for survival, and she knew now that she shouldn't have doubted if she would love this child. This child was already a part of her and she loved it more than she ever thought it was possible. She felt tears starting to fall and wiped them away quickly with the hand that Carter wasn't holding.

"Are you ok?" He asked, noticing the tears.

"I'm fine." Lucy replied, finally taking her eyes off of the screen and looking at him. "It's just…that's our baby."

He nodded and smiled, understanding some of the emotions that she was feeling. He was beyond happy when he noticed that she had said 'our baby'. Up until now, he had almost felt like he wasn't really a part of this pregnancy. Sure he was attending her doctor's appointments with her and he was trying to help her by monitoring her diet and making sure she was staying healthy, but he always felt like just a friend. With those simple words, 'our baby', he was finally beginning to think that Lucy was opening up to him even more. Now there was no doubt in his mind that Lucy considered him a part of this pregnancy.

"Do you want to know the sex of the baby?" Dr. Reynolds asked.

"Yes." Lucy answered. "We would."

Dr. Reynolds moved the controller around for a moment and then looked at the young couple. "It looks like you're going to have a girl. Congratulations."

"A girl." Carter whispered.

Lucy looked over at him nervously. "Did you want a boy?" She hoped he would be happy with a girl. They hadn't really discussed whether they wanted a boy or a girl.

"Well someday I might want a boy, but right now I can't wait to have a girl." Carter assured her, giving her one of his wide grins.

Lucy groaned. "You're going to be one of those fathers who completely spoils their daughter, aren't you?"

"Maybe." He laughed. "But what's so wrong with that?"

"Nothing if you want the girl to be a spoiled brat. Personally, I don't want that." Lucy told him.

He was still holding on to her hand and brought it up to his lips for a soft kiss. "How about this, then? I won't spoil her completely. But I can't promise anything other than that. Besides, you're going to be spoiling her too."

She looked down at the floor, knowing that she was caught. "Yeah, maybe. Just promise me that she won't turn out to be a complete and total spoiled brat?"

"I promise." He grinned.

Dr. Reynolds watched the young couple with interest as she finished up her work. They seemed to be so in love with each other, so why weren't they married? She knew it wasn't her place to intrude upon her patients' lives with irrelevant questions, but she was still curious. She almost hated to interrupt their conversation, but needed to. "Would you like some still photos from the ultrasound?"

Lucy turned and looked at the doctor. She had almost forgotten that they were still at the doctor's office during her conversation with Carter. "I'd like some pictures."

"So would I." Carter nodded.

"Ok." Dr. Reynolds typed some words into the computer and soon pictures were coming out of the printer. She handed them to Carter and Lucy. "Do you have any questions about anything?"

"I don't." Carter answered. "What about you Luce?"

"No, I think I'm fine." Lucy replied.

"Ok. Then, Lucy, you can get dressed now. Also, don't forget to make an appointment with the receptionist on your way. If you come up with any questions, remember that you can call my service."

"Thank you Dr. Reynolds." Lucy smiled, watching the doctor leave the room. "Wow."

"I know." Carter nodded as they each stared at the picture in their hands. "It's a girl."

"We better start thinking of names." Lucy suggested.

"And we can start decorating the nursery now." Carter added.

Lucy nodded, taking her eyes off of the picture and instead staring at Carter. His enthusiasm and excitement about this pregnancy still amazed her. His eyes glittered with happiness every time she watched him talk about her child. This wasn't his child, yet to the rest of the world he looked like the typical expectant father. Having Carter in her life made her quite possibly the luckiest woman in the world.

He looked over and saw Lucy staring at him. "What?"

"Nothing." She shook her head and went back to looking at the picture.

He knew it wasn't nothing. "No, why were you looking at me like that?"

She knew that he wouldn't leave the subject alone until she answered him so she gave in. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am to have you here."

He thought about her statement for a moment before shaking his head. "You're not the lucky one."

She looked at him strangely. "And just what exactly do you mean by that?"

"I'm the lucky one. You're giving me the chance to help you raise your child. You trust me enough to let me be the father of your child. You're giving me the chance to experience this with you. I'm definitely the lucky one in this situation."

"It just amazes me that you can be this excited about a child that isn't yours." Lucy confessed.

"So what if it isn't mine?" He shrugged. "This baby is yours, and that's all that matters in my book. I have a feeling that she's going to be just as smart, beautiful, funny, and wonderful as her mother."

Lucy smiled, touched by his words. She reached up and gave him a quick kiss, only intending to kiss his cheek. But he had moved his head and she ended up kissing him on the lips. She was surprised at first, then closed the small distance between them again to give him another, longer kiss on the lips.

He was surprised when Lucy gave him the first kiss, but became utterly shocked when Lucy kissed him a second time. This kiss was definitely different than the first one. This one was more passionate and more involved. He was enjoying the kiss, but after a couple of seconds he pulled away. He couldn't be sure that Lucy was ready for this kind of thing and didn't want to hurt her.

Honestly, she didn't know what had gotten into her. She hadn't meant to kiss him on the lips either time. It just sort of happened and she couldn't stop herself. After he pulled away from her kiss, there was an awkward silence. Perhaps she could blame this on her pregnancy hormones.

"I have to get back to work. How about I bring home pizza for dinner?"

"Sounds good." Lucy replied slowly. Apparently he wanted to forget about the kiss and pretend it never happened. So she decided to do the same. "I should get dressed."

He took the hint to leave and gave her a small smile. "I'll see you later then."

"Bye." She replied as she watched him leave. Why did I have to go and kiss him? Because you wanted to. So why did he pull away like that? Well, at least she could hold onto the memory of that kiss. It definitely was a good kiss.


	35. Lucy's Project

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Five

**A/N: Sorry about not updating this story sooner, but this past week has been super busy for me. Anyway, thanks for the reviews! Enjoy:)**

Lucy entered the house after coming back from her doctor's appointment and threw her purse on the table by the door. She had many jumbled thoughts running through her head, each competing for her full attention. There were thoughts about her baby, thoughts about Carter, thoughts about the kiss that she had just shared with Carter, and thoughts about the way her life was turning out. The baby. She released a deep sigh. She was going to have a little girl and it was just starting to sink in. She walked over to the couch and sank into the cushions, letting her thoughts about the baby win her complete attention. She would have been happy if she was carrying a boy, but secretly had hoped for a girl. She closed her eyes as she tried to envision what the little girl would look like. It didn't take her too long to fall asleep.

_A small blond girl with blue eyes ran through the house, squealing the entire time. The little girl, who looked almost exactly like Lucy when she was that age, was chasing a younger little boy. The boy was barely able to stay ahead of the girl because he was having trouble running efficiently. It was obvious by looking at the boy's clumsy movements that he was a toddler, and had just recently learned how to run. _

_Carter came into the living room and picked up the little girl. "Sara, what have I told you about chasing your little brother around the house?" He asked in a very authoritative tone. _

"_You told me not to do it." Sara replied, knowing that she was caught. _

"_So then why do you keep doing it?" Carter asked, interested in learning her answer. _

_She shrugged. "I dunno." A giggle escaped from her mouth. " Maybe 'cause it's fun?" _

_Carter laughed at the response. "You are just like your mother, you know that?" He teases as he started tickling her belly. _

"_Daddy stop! That tickles!" Sara squealed. _

_Lucy came into the room holding the little boy in her arms and laughed at the sight in front of her. "Lunchtime!" She announced, clearing her throat. _

_Carter put Sara down on the ground and watched as she ran into the kitchen. "I guess she's hungry." He observed. _

"_Yeah." Lucy agreed. Then she looked down at her son, who was almost an exact replica of Carter at the same age. They both had the most expressive brown eyes and thick, brown hair. "What about you Bobby? Are you hungry?"_

"_Yea!" Bobby replied, clapping his hands. "Food!" _

_Lucy smiled and turned to go back into the kitchen. She sat Bobby in his chair and then walked over to the counter to cut Sara's sandwich. A few seconds later, she handed the plate to Sara so she could start eating. "Hey Carter, do you want ham or turkey on your sandwich?" _

"_Don't care. Just surprise me." He replied, sneaking up behind her and snaking his arms around her waist. _

_She smiled and leaned back into him, letting herself relax completely. "Is ham ok then?" _

"_It's fine." He replied, kissing her neck. That elicited a soft whimpering from Lucy and so he continued. _

"_We can't do this right now. The kids." She whispered, reminding him. _

"_I know, I know." He whispered back, kissing her neck one more time before stopping.  
_

_Lucy turned around, taking a quick glance at the kids sitting ten feet away from them. Sara was eating her sandwich and trying to feed Bobby the crusts. They were busy and well behaved at the moment, so she focused her attention back on Carter. "I love you." She whispered, letting herself get lost in his eyes. _

"_And I love you." He replied, giving her a passionate kiss. _

"_Ah, gross!" Sara screamed, watching her parents kiss each other. _

_Lucy and Carter pulled away from each other and both smiled as they looked at Sara. "I promise you Sara, someday you won't think kissing a guy is gross." Lucy explained. _

"_That won't happen." Sara proclaimed defiantly.  
_

"_I, for one, hope that she never discovers boys." Carter chimed in. _

_Lucy playfully smacked Carter in the stomach. "She's going to discover boys sooner or later. You can't stop that. You can only hope that she finds someone to be just as wonderful as you have been with me."_

"_And I will continue to be wonderful to you until the end of time." He replied, pulling her closer to him. _

"_I like the sound of that." Lucy grinned, giving him a quick kiss._

"_You're doing it again!" Sara exclaimed. _

_Lucy and Carter both looked at her and then back at each other, unable to contain their laughter._

Her eyes fluttered open and she slowly moved around on the couch. She had been enjoying her dream, and wanted to get back to it, but the ringing phone seemed determined to ruin all chances of going back to sleep. She dragged her body off the couch and walked over to the phone. "Hello?" Lucy answered, trying to contain a yawn.

"Hey, did I wake you or something?" Shelby asked, noticing the sleepiness in her friends' voice.

"Yeah, kinda, but it's ok." Lucy replied, forcing herself to wake up and be alert again. "What's going on?" She scanned her mind to make sure that she hadn't forgotten about any plans to do something with Shelby.

"Nothing much." Shelby replied. "I was just wondering what happened with your doctor's appointment. Did you find out if you're having a boy or a girl?"

"Yes, we did." Lucy informed her friend. "We're having a girl!"

"Yes!" Shelby exclaimed happily. She knew that Lucy wanted a girl and was very happy that she was getting her wish. Ever since she had known her, Lucy had wanted to have a little girl that she could dress up and do her hair. "I'm glad that it's a girl—not that I wouldn't have been glad if it was a boy either."

Lucy laughed at Shelby's enthusiasm. "I know what you mean. I'm glad too, and so was Carter."

Shelby laughed softly. "I can't believe he didn't want a boy. Most guys almost expect their first-born to be a son."

"Well not Carter. I have a feeling that this girl is going to be a daddy's girl. She'll probably have him wrapped around her little finger."

"Now that I would love to see." Over the past few weeks, Carter had become one of the most over-protective expectant fathers she had ever seen. He was always doting on Lucy and the baby and she couldn't help but wonder why Lucy and Carter hadn't admitted their feelings for each other. There was still this air of uncertainty that seemed to permeate the room whenever they were together. There were many times when it was almost like they were uncomfortable to be so close to each other, but they shouldn't feel that way since they had already slept together once. She had often wondered about this, and had come to a conclusion. Maybe Carter and Lucy didn't sleep together. The only problem with that scenario was why were they lying about it? So either they were just idiots who couldn't admit that they love each other, or they were lying about sleeping together and Carter wasn't this baby's father. Neither option made much sense to her. She wanted to ask Lucy about it, but decided against it. Maybe it just wasn't any of her business.

They both laughed. "So how are the wedding plans coming? Do you need any more help?"

Shelby sighed. "No, you've done enough for me, and I don't want to bother you."

"You're not bothering me. I'm bored over here since I'm not working anymore. I could use a distraction." Lucy explained. Shelby and Dave decided to get married in June and Lucy had been helping Shelby plan every detail.

"Well the only thing left is all of the little details." Shelby exclaimed. "And the little details are starting to drive me crazy. I will be so glad when the wedding is over with and Dave and I can just go on our honeymoon. I never would have guessed that planning a wedding would be so complicated—especially since we're having such a small wedding!"

"I'm sorry." Lucy replied. "I guess maybe your first instinct to elope may have been right."

Shelby laughed. "Yeah, maybe." She paused for a moment. "Well I need to get back to work. Wanna have lunch together tomorrow?"

"Sure." Lucy agreed.

"Great. I'll come by around eleven and maybe we can try that new place on 7th Street."

"Sounds good. Bye." Lucy hung up the phone and immediately felt a pang of guilt course through her mind. Maybe she should have told Shelby about how she had kissed Carter earlier. She knew that Shelby still felt a little betrayed by the fact that she hadn't been told about Lucy's fake one night affair with Carter, but she didn't think she could tell her about the rape. Finally, she came to the conclusion that she could deal with this on her own and didn't need Shelby's help.

* * *

Carter came through the door and glanced into the living room, hoping to find Lucy sitting on the couch waiting for him. Unfortunately he wasn't that lucky and decided to call for her. "Lucy! I'm home!" 

A few seconds later, Lucy appeared at the top of the steps and smiled at the object in his hand. "Ooh the pizza is here!"

He gave her a weird look and pretended to pout. "Ooh the pizza's here? That's all I get? What about ooh Carter's here?"

She laughed, approaching the spot where he stood and impulsively gave him a short peck on the cheek. "How about this?" She raised her hands up and pasted a huge grin on her face. "Ooh Carter's here!"

"Very funny." He knew that she was teasing him, but at least he had gotten a kiss on the cheek. Earlier in the day she had given him two kisses and now he was getting a kiss on the cheek. Those things, coupled with the news that the baby was girl made this day one of the best he had experienced.

She took the pizza from his hands and moved into the kitchen. After setting it on the little island in the middle of the kitchen, she brought back paper plates and napkins. "So how was the rest of your day?"

He was in the kitchen getting a beer for him and a can of 7-up for Lucy. "Oh you know…it was…busy. What else did you do?" He asked, grabbing a plate and putting two slices on it.

"Absolutely nothing other than the doctor's appointment." She sighed. "I am so completely bored!"

"You wouldn't be if you had a hobby." Carter pointed out casually, knowing that he would get a reaction out of her from that.

She just rolled her eyes at him. "Oh not this again! I don't need…" she stopped and considered what she was about to say. She was about to say that she didn't need a hobby, but that really wasn't true. She did need a hobby. Cursing him for being right, she tried to figure out a way to admit she needed a hobby without making his already huge ego even bigger. "Look, maybe we should just stop having this disagreement. You seem to think I need a hobby and I don't. But for argument's sake, what hobby would you suggest for me?"

He smiled, glad that she was at least ready to hear his idea about this. He had been thinking about this ever since their initial conversation at her mother's house. "Well it's more like a project actually."

Her eyes narrowed, wondering what his idea could be. "What kind of project?"

He took a look around. "This house came with only a few pieces of furniture. Even with the furniture that we have moved here with, it still looks bare. Wouldn't it be nice if someone came along and re-decorated this place?"

She knew what he was hinting at. "You want me to be an interior decorator?"

"Wouldn't that be fun? You can do whatever you want to the house. Replace the furniture, re-paint the walls, put in new carpet, re-do the kitchen, whatever. I'll pay for everything. You can turn this house into whatever you want it to be."

"No thanks." Lucy shook her head. She then picked up her dinner and moved to the living room. Placing her drink and food on the coffee table, she grabbed the remote and turned on the television to do some channel surfing.

Carter hurried after her and also sat his food down on the coffee table. He wasn't sure why she had refused his offer. He had been sure that she would jump at the chance to remodel this house. As much as they both loved the space, it was slightly out-dated. "Why not?"

She didn't bother looking over at him; instead she focused her attention on the television. "Because."

"Because?" He laughed. "What kind of a reason is that?"

"It's a very valid reason." She replied, still not facing him.

The fact that she wouldn't look at him was irritating him. Finally, he yanked the remote out of her hand and turned the television off.

"What did you do that for?" She asked angrily, finally looking over at him.

"You weren't giving me a straight answer about why you don't like my idea." He replied.

"Fine." She replied calmly. "I don't like your idea because it sucks. How about that? That's a straight answer. Now give me back the remote."

"No." He refused. "What's the real reason?"

"I already told you the real reason." She lied.

"No, you told me a lie which you thought would placate me enough to get me off your back about this." He grinned, certain that he was right about her earlier intentions. "But it didn't work, so now maybe you should go ahead and just tell me the truth. What is it about my offer to redecorate the house that sucks?"

"Ok, so maybe the idea doesn't suck." Lucy admitted, crossing her arms across her chest. "It's a very nice offer and I appreciate it a lot, but I can't take your money like that. It's not right."

"Oh, it's about money." He should have guessed. Of course it was about money. "I don't care about the money, and why is it not right? I'll be living here too, you know. I'd like this place a little more if we got new furniture—maybe some that matched each other."

"I just don't feel right about taking your money." It's not like we're married or anything. Redecorating a house seems more like something a wife would do. But I'm just your…I don't even know what I am to you anymore.

"Please take my money? We'll both benefit from this." He gave her a sad, pathetic look, hoping to convince her into doing this. "Don't let the money issue stop you from this. If you think you'd be interested in doing this, then go ahead. Please?"

The more she thought about it, the more interesting it seemed. She could change anything about this house and the contents of it too. A smile graced her face. "How about I do this on one condition?"

"Depends on the condition." He smiled.

"You have to come with me when we go furniture shopping." She informed him. "I would hate to get something that you don't like because like you said, you'll be living here too."

"It's a deal." He nodded.

"Now will you give me back the remote?" She asked softly.

"Sure." He laughed and handed it back to her.


	36. It's Too Much

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Six

**A/N: Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter posted.SometimesI wish there were more hours in the day. Anyway, enjoy!**

Two Weeks Later

Lucy walked down the hall and knocked on the door in front of her. She was tired of trying on clothes and decided that she wasn't going to change clothes again. She was going to wear this even if Carter told her that she looked horrible, but he would never do that. While putting this outfit on, she realized that she had been most likely been annoying Carter for the last hour. She would go into his room and ask how she looked. He would then tell her that she looked fine, or good, or something like that. But that never seemed to satisfy her. She didn't want to look fine or good. She wanted to wow him. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she was getting fatter by the day and needed reassured that she was still attractive. Maybe it was because she wanted to show him that she could be more than just a friend. Maybe it was both reasons, but whatever the reason, she had been rather difficult. She made a mental note to apologize later.

"Come in!" Carter called from the other side when he heard Lucy's knock. He was fixing his tie while looking in the mirror. While he was getting ready, she had come into his room asking for an opinion about her outfit at least six times. Each time, he seemed to somehow say the wrong thing about her appearance and she would then leave to change clothes again. Normally Lucy wasn't this sensitive about her choice of clothes; he blamed this on the pregnancy hormones. Mentally, he realized that they needed to leave soon or else they would be late.

"How does this look?" Lucy asked, twirling around. They were going over to have dinner with Carter's Gamma, and she wanted to look nice. She had chosen a long, black skirt that went to her ankles and a simple red blouse. Hanging around her neck was a small, red heart-shaped pendant and she was also wearing the matching earrings.

He stopped fixing his tie to turn around and look at her. But as soon as he saw her, he immediately forgot what words were. He had never seen this outfit before and guessed that it must be new. She looked stunning. He had heard that pregnant women sometimes have a certain glow around them, and Lucy was living proof of that phenomenon.

Lucy looked at him nervously. He was being too quiet. "Carter, if you don't say something soon I'm going to take your silence as a cue to change clothes again."

"No!" He replied quickly, raising his hands up in mock defeat. "Luce, you look wonderful--really, really wonderful."

She smiled and became embarrassed. "I've been driving you crazy with this whole thing, haven't I?"

"No!" He lied.

"Tell me the truth." She demanded politely.

He sheepishly nodded his head. "Ok, yeah it hasn't exactly been fun. But only because I think you look beautiful no matter what you wear. Besides, it's just dinner with Gamma."

"I know, but I just want to look nice." Lucy replied. She then walked over to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry for any aggravation I may have caused you."

"I don't think it's possible for me to be aggravated with you," he replied, "but I'll accept your apology anyway."

"So, are we ready to go now?" Lucy asked, checking the clock. "We should go soon. I don't want to be late."

"Just let me finish my tie and then I'll be ready." Carter told her, turning back to the mirror and trying to finish with his tie. "I don't like ties!" He exclaimed, throwing up his hands in frustration.

She laughed at his outburst and then went to stand in front of him. Without saying a word, she started to work on his tie.

"What are you doing?" He asked, shocked and amused by her actions.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She asked him sarcastically. "I'm fixing your tie for you since you seem to be incapable of doing it."

"I'm not incapable!" He defended himself. "They're just hard sometimes."

"You think this is hard?" She laughed. "Just be glad that you have never had to squeeze into panty-hose." She paused for a moment, looking up at him with an inquisitive look. "You haven't, right?"

"No! Definitely not." He laughed.

"Good." She replied with a smiled. "Just checking."

He smiled back at her, enjoying the way they were relating to each other. Ever since the kiss they had shared a couple of weeks ago, he was worried that things would be weird around them. But everything seemed to be fine. Neither of them had brought up the subject of the impromptu kiss and if it wasn't for the permanent memory of that moment he had engrained in his mind, he might be inclined to believe that it never happened.

"All done!" Lucy announced, backing away from him before she did something she might regret. Ever since she kissed him a couple of weeks ago, thoughts of kissing him again were regularly haunting her—especially just now. Being so close to him while she was fixing his tie was torturous for her. The smell of his cologne and the warmth his arms would have offered while wrapped around her tried to tempt her into burying herself in his arms and never letting go. But she couldn't do that. This wasn't the right time and, besides, she was incredibly confused by his actions. He seemed to care about her. She knows that he cares about her; however, is that caring a romantic love? She had no clue.

"Thanks." He replied, taking a look in the mirror. She had done a good job with his tie. "Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, just let me grab my purse from my room." She disappeared from his room, stopping in her room only long enough to pick up her purse and then headed downstairs so they could leave.

* * *

"It's my fault we're late. I shouldn't have taken so long choosing my outfit." Lucy sighed as they got out of Carter's jeep and started up the driveway to the door of the mansion. The last thing she wanted to do was give Carter's Gamma any reason to dislike her, although she knew that was an irrational fear. His Gamma had always liked her, and approved of her being friends with Carter. His parents however, weren't as approving of her friendship in the beginning. In fact, they still didn't like her very much. They just tolerated her. As they were walking, she wondered if Carter had told his parents about this baby. She knew that they had moved to New York and were currently traveling through Europe, but Carter hadn't told her much else about them. His relationship with his parents has always been difficult, to say the least, but it seems even more strained now that he's an adult. She made a mental note to ask him about it at another time. 

Carter smiled and wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked. "I don't think Gamma's gonna care that we're a few minutes late. She's just gonna be glad to see us."

She smiled back at him. "Yeah, you're right…as usual."

A few seconds after Carter rang the doorbell, the butler promptly answered the door. "Ah, Mr. Carter and Ms. Knight. Welcome. Your grandmother is expecting you. Right now she's in the sitting room."

"Thank you Gregory." Carter smiled at the older man. He then led Lucy to the sitting room. They found Gamma sitting in a chair with a bunch of papers. "Hello Gamma!" Carter grinned, walking over to his grandmother and giving her a quick hug. "How are you?"

"I'm fine." Gamma smiled. After pulling away from her grandson's hug, she moved the papers to the nearby table and stood up. "How are you?"

"Great." Carter replied.

"Good to hear." Gamma then turned to Lucy and gave her a hug. "And how are you doing my dear? Is pregnancy being kind to you?"

Lucy snorted. That was definitely a loaded question. "It has its' moments, but it's ok. I know that any discomfort I may have now will all be worth it once she's born."

Gamma nodded. "Yes, yes it will."

Lucy leaned in closer to the older woman and lowered her voice. "I think Carter's ready for some of my pregnancy symptoms to go away though. He won't admit it, but I think I'm starting to annoy him with my mood swings."

They both laughed and looked over at Carter. He was only standing a few feet away from them, so even though Lucy had lowered her voice he was still able to hear her statement.

"You know I heard what you just said." He reminded them.

"So?" Lucy questioned innocently.

He simply rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I think dinner should be ready by now." Gamma interrupted. She started leading Lucy to the dining room. "I hope you're hungry."

"She's always hungry." Carter spoke up from behind them.

Lucy turned her head back to look at him and gave him a look of playful anger before answering his Gamma. "One of the things I've learned in the past few months is that pregnancy makes you a lot hungrier."

"That is true." Gamma agreed. "When I was pregnant with Carter's father I was constantly eating anything I could find in the kitchen. It didn't even matter to me what it was, as long as it was food."

* * *

The two women laughed and started to share other stories about their experiences as they allate dinner. Carter didn't want to take part in this conversation, and didn't really know what he could possibly contribute to the conversation, so he let his mind wander off. After letting his thoughts roam free for a few moments, he finally settled on Lucy. She was his favorite subject and most of the time she was the subject of his thoughts. He was sitting across from her at the table and snuck a glance at her. She was busy talking to his Gamma and didn't notice that his glance had turned into a long stare. As he sat there watching her talk and occasionally laugh with his Gamma, he thought about what an amazing woman she was. Beautiful, intelligent, strong, independent, and strong-willed were only a few of the good qualities that she possesses. Looking at her now, you could hardly tell that she was raped only a few months ago. She was no longer the broken shell that she had been thanks to her own personal strength and the therapy that she went through. She was, once again, the same Lucy that he had always known. But was she ready for any kind of romantic relationship? He was; he was beyond ready to pursue a romantic relationship with her. He loved her, but did she love him? Could she love him? He was certain that she cared about him and felt a definite sense of gratitude for agreeing to be this baby's father; however, he was confused. She had kissed him—really kissed him. Yet they hadn't talked about it and they hadn't kissed since then. So did she think that the kiss was a mistake? Was she waiting for him to make the first move? Should he even make the first move? Was she ready for that kind of thing? The questions swirled around in his head. 

Lucy continued listening and talking to Carter's Gamma while also being aware that Carter was staring at her, and had been for about five straight minutes now. She wondered why he was staring at her and hoped it wasn't because she had food smashed all over her face. No, she reasoned, if that was the case he would have done the gentlemanly thing and told her about it because he was a gentleman. That was one of the reasons why she loved him so much. However, sometimes she wondered about if his willingness to help her with her baby was because of his constant need to do the right thing and help out those that he cares about. Often she had felt guilty about saddling him down with a child that wasn't even his biologically, even though he has sworn to her about a million times that it doesn't matter to him. She tried to tell herself that it shouldn't matter to her either, but there was always a little part of her mind that screamed it did matter. There was a break in her conversation with the older woman, so Lucy took this opportunity to turn her head and look at Carter. They locked eyes and she smiled when she saw him look down at his plate, knowing that he had been caught staring.

Millicent looked at the two of them and wondered for maybe the hundredth time lately why they hadn't gotten together romantically. They were having a baby together and were obviously in love. So what was stopping them? Or rather who was stopping them? Were the two stubborn people seated at her dinner table not allowing themselves to give into the feelings that were plastered onto their faces for some unknown reason? And if so, how were she and Barbara supposed to make the two of them see what everyone else in the world saw? She decided to give them a little push. "So, I know this is an odd question, but have you two decided what last name the baby will taking? Will it be a Carter or a Knight since you two aren't married?"

Lucy and Carter immediately looked at each other, then at Millicent, and settled their eyes back on each other. They were both surprised by her question. Neither of them had discussed the detail of this baby' last name. Lucy had assumed that the baby would take her name.

"Actually, we haven't discussed that yet." Carter informed his Gamma.

"Don't you think you should? I mean, it would be a lot easier if you two were already married. But…"

"But we're not." Lucy finished Millicent's statement for her. For whatever reason, Carter had never proposed marriage to her. Would she have said yes if he did? Absolutely.

Carter knew that this whole conversation was just another ploy used by his Gamma to try and convince them to get married. Truthfully, he didn't need convincing. He would marry Lucy right now if she would say yes. Unfortunately thought, before she could say yes he would have to ask her and asking her to marry him was something that he didn't think he should do right now--mainly because he was afraid of her answer. If it was no, then it might scare her away and then not only would he lose any chance of a romantic relationship with her, but he might also lose the friendship that he treasured.

Millicent looked at the two of them and realized that she wasn't going to help this situation. With Barbara's help, she had tried many things over the past few months to get the two of them to admit their true feelings for each other. Nothing seemed to work. They seemed to be in a state of perpetual denial, and she was running out of ideas to help them. She resolved not to give up and instead merely wait for a new idea to come to her.

* * *

After dinner and some dessert, the three of them all went back to the sitting room and Millicent picked up the stack of papers that she had been going over before Carter and Lucy had arrived. She leaned over to the couch that the two of them were sitting on and handed Carter the papers. "I hope you don't mind, but I'm giving you a present for the baby." 

Lucy leaned over and took a look at the papers in Carter's hands. If she was eating while she read the papers, she was certain that she would have choked.

"Gamma, this is…" Carter started to say until Lucy cut him off.

"Too much." Lucy finished. "You don't have to do this."

Millicent smiled at both Lucy and Carter. "I know, but I wanted to do something for my first granddaughter."

Lucy sat there looking at the paperwork that was in Carter's hands and suddenly felt incredibly guilty. Millicent was starting a trust fund for her child—a child that wasn't even a blood relation to her. But she didn't know that. She couldn't accept this; she couldn't take this money. "We can't…"

Carter grabbed Lucy's hand and interrupted her this time. "Thank you enough for this. It's incredible."

That wasn't what Lucy was going to say and she wasn't sure why Carter was accepting this money, but she held back her anger at him and smiled instead. "Thank you." She managed to say to the woman.

* * *

"We can't take this money." Lucy stated as they entered the jeep to go home. 

"Why not?" Carter asked, starting the engine and backing out of the driveway.

"Why not?" She exclaimed. "You know why not! How about the fact that she thinks she's setting up a trust fund for her grandchild but this isn't her grandchild?"

"She doesn't know that." Carter pointed out.

"I know, but we can't take her money."

"It's already a done deal Luce." He informed her. "Besides, what possible reason could we possibly give for refusing this gift without telling her the truth?"

"I don't know." Lucy sighed. "I just don't feel right about taking her money like this. We're not married and this child isn't her grandchild, yet she's treating her like a regular family member."

"We can't exactly give it back." Carter pointed out. "Just think of it as a large college fund."

She knew that he was right and they couldn't give the money back without raising a lot questions that she didn't want to answer. That still didn't make her feel any better about taking Millicent's money though.


	37. Lava Lamps and Admissions

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Seven

**A/N: I really hope that there is still an audience out there for this story. I apologize deeply for neglecting this story for so long.It wasn't my intention, but somehow days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months. I'm going to try and do much better about updating this story more often. Enjoy:)**

Two Days Later

Lucy and Carter strolled around the huge department store, searching for a wedding gift for Dave and Shelby. They had been searching stores for the right gift for about three hours now, and Carter was getting bored. He smiled and hurried over to an object. "How about this?" He pointed out.

Lucy looked over to where he was, expecting to see something that might actually work as a wedding gift. Instead, she saw he was pointing to a lava lamp. "A lava lamp? I don't think so."

"Can't we just get them a toaster or something?" He asked. Shelby and Dave's wedding was in less than three days, and they had yet to get their friends a wedding present. That's why Lucy dragged him out the door this morning.

"No we can't get them a toaster!" Lucy shook her head and rolling her eyes at him.

"Why not? If we got them a toaster we could be done with this and go get lunch." He reasoned.

"They already have a toaster. They don't need another one." She replied, letting out a sigh. Shelby and Dave's wedding was less than three days away. "We shouldn't have waited until the last minute to get them a present."

"It would be a whole lot easier if they had a gift registry somewhere." Carter mused.

"Yeah, I agree. But they didn't want one." Lucy reminded him.

"Well when I get married, you can bet that I'll have a gift registry somewhere. I don't want my friends having to worry about what kind of gift to get me."

Lucy remained silent after hearing his last statement. When he got married? That statement scared her on many levels. What if he found someone that he wanted to marry? Where would she and this baby fit into that picture? More and more, she was fooling around with the notion of telling Carter how she felt about him. Honestly, she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her feelings a secret from him.

"Ooh, we could give them spending money for their honeymoon as their present." Carter suggested.

"That seems kinda impersonal." Lucy shook her head.

"Well what are our alternatives?" He paused. "I think it's either spending money or the lava lamp."

She laughed. "I don't think we should get them a lava lamp. I guess we can go with the spending money idea."

He smiled, glad that he had convinced her to let them quit shopping. "I wish I had thought of this earlier. Maybe then we wouldn't have wasted three hours of our life." He really didn't like shopping. The only thing that made it bearable was the fact that he was with Lucy. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder as they walked out of the store and headed for Carter's jeep.

Her stomach quickly reminded her that she was hungry and she looked over at him. "You mentioned something about lunch?"

"Yes I did." He nodded. "Where do you want to go?"

"Doesn't matter to me." She shrugged.

"There's a new Chinese place on 3rd street we could try." He suggested as he got into the jeep.

"Sounds good." She got into the jeep and fastened her seat belt around her expanding belly.

* * *

The next day, Lucy and Shelby went to the dress shop for a final fitting of their dresses. Lucy went first and came out of the dressing room in a dark blue off the shoulder dress that went down to the floor. "It's a little tight. I think I've gained some weight since last week." She laughed. 

"Well at least you're supposed to gain weight." Shelby joked, trying to make her friend feel better about the tight dress. "If it helps any, you look great."

Lucy sighed and took a look at herself in the mirror. She had always been blessed to have a nice figure; she was never overweight and never super-thin. Because of this pregnancy, she was having to deal with the fact that she was gaining a lot of weight. It didn't make her happy, but she consoled herself by remembering that in a few months she would be back to her normal figure again—and she would have a beautiful daughter.

The dress maker walked up to Lucy and started pining parts of the dress so that she could make the alterations later. After only a few moments, she released Lucy and let her change back into her other clothes. She also sent Shelby into the dressing room to change into her wedding dress.

Lucy had finished changing first and was glancing around at the wedding dresses that were on display while waiting for Shelby. A smile came to her face as she stopped in front of one of the dresses. Letting her thoughts run wild, she imagined what kind of dress she would wear if getting married to Carter. It would most likely be something simple with short sleeves and a puffy skirt. Before she could let her mind go too far into detail, she dropped back into reality and focused her attention to Shelby, who was coming out of the dressing room. "Wow. Shelby, that dress is going to make Dave forget how to speak."

Shelby looked down nervously at the dress and then walked over to the mirror. "You think?"

"Absolutely." Lucy nodded, walking over to her. "He's not going to know what to say when he sees you walk down that aisle to him."

Shelby had to admit that Lucy was right. This wedding dress did make her look wonderful, and she would love to be able to make Dave be speechless. After having the dress maker pin a couple of places, she changed back into her normal clothes and they started to leave the store. "So, I saw you looking at the wedding dresses when I came in. Think marriage is in your future?"

"I don't think so." Lucy shook her head.

"Why not? Why aren't you and Carter together?"

"Because we're happy with the way things are right now." Lucy knew it was wrong to lie to her friend, but it was better than telling her the truth.

Shelby let out a frustrated sigh. "Lucy, I really don't understand you sometimes. I mean, you and Carter are having a child together, you love him, he loves you. So what is standing in your way?" It wasn't until after she was finished with her tirade that she realized she had just told Lucy that Carter loved her. Well, it was the truth. Carter was in love with Lucy, but she scolded herself because Carter should have been the one to tell Lucy that.

"Nothing's standing in our way…" Lucy stopped when Shelby's words started to register in her mind. Carter loves her? Could she afford to hope that it was true? Shelby wouldn't lie about something like that, but how would Shelby know about Carter's feelings? She thought about asking Shelby about it, but decided against it. She would just pretend that she hadn't heard Shelby's declaration.

* * *

Carter walked into the lounge at the end of his shift and saw Dave sitting at the table writing something. He decided to sit down and see what Dave was doing. "Hey, what's that?" He asked, pointing to the paper. 

"Ah, nothing." Dave shrugged, shoving the paper into his pocket.

"Looked like you were writing something. What were you writing?" Carter asked, now more curious than ever.

"Nothing." Dave shook his head.

"Oh come on. Why won't you tell me?"

Dave knew that Carter wouldn't give up until he found out. "Ok. It's a little note that I'm writing for Shelby."

"What, like a love note?" Carter asked.

"Kind of." Dave replied with a sly smile. "It's just a little note that I'm going to put with my wedding present for her."

"That's sweet." Carter smiled. He was truly glad that his two friends found love with each other and were so happy. "Which reminds me, you haven't told me what you got her. So spill it."

Dave chuckled. "I'm not telling. It's a surprise."

"Yeah it's a surprise for her, but you know that I wouldn't say a word about to her. Just tell me." Carter asked again.

"Nope. If you're so eager to know, maybe Lucy will tell you." Dave revealed.

"Lucy knows what it is?" If Lucy knew what it was, then there was a good chance that he could find out. "Why does Lucy know what it is and I don't?"

"Because she helped me with it." Dave explained.

"So, are you ready to become a married man? You have less than 48 hours of bachelorhood."

"I know, and I can't wait. When you've found the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, you know it and you want that life to start as soon as possible." Dave then smirked. "But then again, I imagine that you know all about that."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carter asked with a chuckle.

"C'mon man, it's painfully obvious that you love Lucy as more than just a friend or even as the mother of your child. What Shelby and I don't know is why you haven't made any kind of attempt to make your situation with Lucy more…permanent."

Dave was right. He did love Lucy and he did want to spend the rest of his life with her. But would she marry him if he proposed? He wasn't sure. She might think that he was proposing only because of the baby and say no. Besides that, proposing to her might scare her off. They haven't exactly had the most normal of courtships—or any real courtship at all. No, he couldn't think of proposing right now. "Lucy and I are happy with the way things are between us right now. We have no plans to change them." Of course that was a lie, but know wasn't the time to talk about the truth. He glanced at his watch. "I should get going. Are we still on for your bachelor party tomorrow night?"

"You bet." Dave replied. He knew that Carter was lying when he said that he was happy with the way things were between him and Lucy. He just wondered how much longer it was going to take for those two to finally be honest with each other about their feelings.

"Ok. See you later." Carter said as he left the hospital.

* * *

When Lucy heard the doorbell ring, she looked at the clock. It was almost eight at night and she wasn't expecting anyone, so who could it be? She put the bookmark in her book and got up from the couch. Opening the door, she stood there in shock. "Um, hello." She finally managed to say. 

The two people looked at each other and then back at Lucy. "Lucy? Lucy Knight? What are you doing here?" The female asked.

Lucy laughed nervously. "I live here." She suddenly realized that they were having this conversation on the doorstep. "Oh, would you two like to come in?"

The couple exchanged glances again before fixating their gaze on the pregnant woman in front of them. "Actually, we're looking for John. Millicent gave us this address…"

"He should be home from the hospital any minute now." Lucy informed them. "You're more than welcome to come in and wait."

Eleanor Carter smiled politely and entered the house ahead of her husband. "Thank you."

"Can I get you anything?" Lucy asked as they all settled in the living room. Carter's parents sat on the couch and Lucy stood in front of them.

"No thanks." Jack Carter replied.

"Ok then." Lucy replied with a smile as she sat in a nearby chair.

"It's been a long time since we've seen you Lucy. How are you?" Jack asked.

It was clear to Lucy that they didn't really care how she had been during these past years and were just trying to be as polite as possible. They had never treated her as anything other than an annoyance and always thought of her as not being good enough to even be friends with their son. She did not look forward to their reaction when they find out about Carter's involvement with her and her baby. "I've been fine. I just completed another year of med school."

"You're going to be a doctor?" Jack asked, surprised by this statement.

"Yes, I am." Lucy replied, trying to keep the smile plastered onto her face.

"Interesting." Eleanor commented.

"So Millicent didn't tell us that you were living here…" Eleanor informed Lucy, "and she certainly didn't tell us about your pregnancy. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Lucy replied, hoping that Carter wasn't going to be late. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being left alone in a room with his parents.

"If you don't mind my asking, who is the father?" Eleanor asked.

Before Lucy had a chance to reply, a familiar voice entered the room. "I am, mother."


	38. They're Idiots

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Eight

**A/N: Yay, I still have readers! Whoo-hoo! Thank you for the feedback. Here's the next chapter. Enjoy!**

"So Millicent didn't tell us that you were living here…" Eleanor informed Lucy, "and she certainly didn't tell us about your pregnancy. Congratulations."

"Thank you." Lucy replied, hoping that Carter wasn't going to be late. She wasn't sure how much longer she could stand being left alone in a room with his parents.

"If you don't mind my asking, who is the father?" Eleanor asked.

Before Lucy had a chance to reply, a familiar voice entered the room. "I am, mother."

Lucy looked over and was very relived to see Carter standing in the doorway. Her relief was short-lived though when she realized that there would be a confrontation between Carter and his parents.

Eleanor smiled at her son and got up from the couch. When she reached the place he was standing in the doorway, she gave him European air kisses on both cheeks and embraced him in a hug. "John, darling, how are you?"

"I'm fine." Carter replied, unsure why his parents were standing in his house and very unsure about why his mother was actually hugging him. She never seemed to show any real affection towards him and this new display was making him quite uncomfortable. He looked over at Lucy while his mother was hugging him and gave her a smile.

"Well you look tired. Are you getting enough sleep?" Eleanor asked as she released him from the hug and examined him with her eyes.

"I'm fine mother." Carter replied testily. He had been looking forward to coming home and spending a quiet evening with Lucy, but instead now it seemed he had to deal with his parents. The fact that they had completely ignored his admission about being the father of Lucy's baby had not escaped him. He knew that they would try and pretend that they didn't hear him because they always did that when he said something they didn't like. When he told them that he wanted to be a doctor, they tried for months to pretend that they hadn't heard him.

"Your mother is right son, you are looking a little tired." Jack interjected.

"I'm fine dad, really." He decided to change the subject. "What are you two doing here?"

"Do we need a reason to visit our son?" Eleanor asked.

"Most parents don't, but you two aren't most parents." Carter commented.

Eleanor started to get angry. "And just what does that mean?"

"Nothing." Carter sighed, not wanting to get into an argument. "So this is a social visit?"

"Well your grandmother told us that you've been making some changes in your life and we thought that we would come by and check up on you." Jack explained.

"Millicent wouldn't tell us what kind of changes you were making. We were curious and thought that maybe you had decided to drop out of med school." Eleanor elaborated.

He knew that they really wanted him to drop out of med school and felt the vultures circling around him. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not dropping out of med school." Carter told them as he walked over to where Lucy was now standing.

"Oh, well…then what are these changes?" Eleanor asked, still hoping against hope that Carter was joking when he stated that he was the father of Lucy's baby. She didn't want to have Lucy as a permanent feature in her family. She had nothing against Lucy personally, but she had always pictured her son with someone more…high class.

Carter stood next to Lucy and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Lucy and I are having a baby."

Jack and Eleanor exchanged glances again and then looked back at their son and Lucy. "Oh." Jack was the first to reply.

"When did you two start dating?" Eleanor asked suspiciously. The last time she checked, Carter and Lucy were barely even speaking to each other—let alone committed enough to have a child together. Her eyes scanned Lucy's left hand and noticed that there was no engagement ring. That was a relief to her, but she was still upset by this news.

"We…" Carter was trying to come up with a believable lie when Lucy spoke up.

"We've always had a special friendship. You know that. I guess somehow our friendship just turned into something more romantic." Lucy explained.

"Well, um…." Eleanor was at a loss for words. She knew that she couldn't openly oppose this or else risk alienating her son. But she also couldn't stand by and watch Lucy insinuate herself into the Carter family. Getting rid of Lucy would take careful planning.

"Congratulations." Jack smiled, finishing his wife's sentence for her. He could tell that the gears in her head were already starting to turn and think of a way to get Lucy away from their son.

"Yes, congratulations." Eleanor smiled.

"Thanks." Carter and Lucy replied.

"Do you have any other surprises for us?" Eleanor asked.

"No." Carter replied. He recognized the look that was on his mother's face right now. It was her polite smile, which she only used to portray a look of happiness while her mind started plotting various schemes. "How long are you two staying in town?"

"Well, we have business to attend to back in New York…but now that we have a grandchild on the way, we'll be sure to come back and visit more often." Eleanor replied with her polite smile.

"Great." Lucy replied, plastering on her own polite smile.

"It's getting late, so I think we'll just head back to the mansion for the night. We're leaving tomorrow afternoon, but maybe we could have lunch tomorrow?"

"I'm not sure. I think I'm going to be working tomorrow." Carter lied.

"Well then we'll just see you next time we come to Chicago." Jack replied, knowing that his wife would want some time with Carter while Lucy wasn't around in order to pound some common sense into him. But it looked like they wouldn't get that chance yet. "Let's go dear." He lightly grabbed his wife's arm.

"Ok." Eleanor agreed. "Congratulations again. I'll be in touch."

"Sure you will." Carter replied sarcastically. "Bye."

"Goodbye son, Lucy. Goodnight." Jack and Eleanor let themselves out of the house and stood on the doorstep for a moment.

"What are we going to do about this?" Eleanor exclaimed, the polite smile being replaced by a scowl. "If we don't do something, and soon, we'll be stuck with Lucy as a member of this family."

"I know dear, but we have to be careful. Whatever we do, we must make sure that we can't get blamed for it or else John will never forgive us." Jack reasoned.

"You're right." She sighed. "This is going to be difficult."

"But we can do it." Jack assured her. "We must rid Lucy from John's life…"

"…While still keeping control of our grandchild." Eleanor smirked.

* * *

Back inside the house, Carter released the arm that he had draped around Lucy's waist. "I can't believe they actually showed up here." 

"How long has it been since you've seen them?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Two years." Carter replied. "But I did talk to them for a few minutes about a year ago. So how long did you have to be alone with them?" He asked.

"Not too long. You showed up right in time." Lucy assured him.

"I actually think that went pretty well."

She looked at him strangely. "Are you serious? Your mother looked like she was being punched in the stomach when you told her about this baby."

"Yeah, I know, but she'll get over it."

"And your father didn't look too pleased either." She pointed out.

"Well it doesn't matter. Their opinions of me and how I should run my life have never had any kind of control over me."

"I had almost forgotten what your parents were like and how much they disliked me."

"I'm sorry about them." He apologized. "They're idiots."

Lucy laughed. "Perhaps."

"Oh there is no perhaps!" He exclaimed with a chuckle. "You're just being nice. My parents are complete and total idiots. They leave me alone for months and then all of a sudden come in here to our home and attempt to make me feel guilty for not keeping them informed about my life. All of a sudden they want to pretend like they are parents. Well it doesn't work that way. They stopped being real parents to me the day that Bobby died."

She walked over to him and put her arm around his shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault they aren't good parents." Carter replied, putting his arm around her waist again. "Look, I don't really want to talk about my parents all night. So let's just change the subject. Ok?"

"Ok. We'll change the subject. How was work?"

"I had a wonderful patient that vomited on me. Twice."

Lucy made a disgusted face and moved to get out of Carter's grasp. "Gross!" She laughed.

He loved to watch her laugh. "I cleaned up after that. You don't have to stand on the other side of the room."

Lucy, who had released herself from his grasp and walked across the room, smiled.

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" He asked. He hadn't, and was getting hungry.

"Yeah, but I'm hungry enough to eat again." She replied sheepishly. "Even after your talk of vomit."

He chuckled. "Pizza?"

"Sure." Lucy nodded in agreement. "Sausage and pepperoni?"

"Ok." Carter nodded, picking up the phone. After ordering from a nearby pizza place, he put down the phone and turned to look at Lucy. She was sitting on the couch and reading a book. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to her. "Are you still reading that pregnancy book?"

She looked at the cover and then back at him. "Actually, I've finished that one. This is a different one."

"Aren't they all the same?" He asked.

"Not really." Lucy shook her head. "You wanna read one?"

"Oh no thanks. I'll let you do the reading." He smiled.

"Why? You afraid you'd learn something?" She teased.

He laughed. "No."

"Whatever." She joked, playfully poking him on the shoulder.

"I ran into Dave at the end of my shift and he was writing a letter to Shelby. He said it was for his wedding present to her, but he wouldn't tell me what it was."

"He wouldn't?"

"No. I was wondering if you would tell me." Carter asked.

"Who says I know what it is?" Lucy asked coyly.

"Dave told me." Carter smiled.

Lucy put her book down and then looked over at him. "Why didn't he tell you what his present was himself?"

"I don't know. I think he just wanted to keep me in suspense. If he really didn't want me to know, he wouldn't have let me know that you know what it is." He reasoned.

"Ok." Lucy replied after a few seconds of thought. "His present to Shelby is a scrapbook of their lives before they met each other. He made his own scrapbook about his life and I helped him make a scrapbook about Shelby's life. Then we combined them into one big scrapbook. The idea being that their lives were separate, but now that they are getting married, their lives are combined into one life—one scrapbook."

"Wow." Carter reflected. "That's a great gift. It's thoughtful and heartfelt. I didn't know that Dave had that kind of an idea in him."

She swatted his arm and shook her head. "He doesn't want anyone to know this, but he is a closet romantic when it comes to Shelby."

"There's nothing wrong with being a romantic and doing romantic things for someone you love." Carter told her.

"I know, but he has to protect the carefree, joker reputation that he has crafted for himself." Lucy smiled.

"I guess he does." Carter smiled. "So that letter he was writing…"

"That was the introduction to the scrapbook. He's been trying to write it for over a month and hasn't been able to come up with a draft that he is happy with. He's actually being a little too anal retentive about it. Shelby is going to be so floored by the scrapbook itself that it won't matter to her what the introduction says." Lucy explained.

"He probably just wants it to be perfect for her." Carter told her. "I know I would if I was in his position."

"You're probably right." Lucy smiled. "But he's running out of time for perfection."


	39. Shelby & Dave's Wedding Reception

We Used To Be Friends

Chapter Thirty-Nine

**A/N: Ok, so here's a "funny" story. I decided I wouldn't post another chapter of this story until I had completed it so that the updates wouldn't take so long. The good news is that I finished the story. The bad news is that my computer got a nasty virus that wiped out everything I had saved. So I'm back at square one. While I have a better idea of where this story is going, I'm not looking forward to having to re-write everything again. I will, but it may take a while. Thank you to everyone who is being patient with me and sticking with this story! For your patience, I bring you another chapter. Enjoy!**

Music filled the air around the tent where Dave and Shelby's wedding reception was taking place. Couples danced on the wooden dance floor that had been brought out, while others were gathering around the buffet table. Lucy sat at the head table and watched as all the guests seemed to be having a good time. Carter had been sitting next to her, but he had left a while ago, saying that he would be back soon. She spotted Dave and Shelby dancing close to each other and smiled. They were both glowing and she knew that this was the happiest day of Shelby's life. She suspected that it was most likely the happiest day of Dave's life as well.

"Dance with me." Carter whispered in Lucy's ear.

She turned her head to face him and smiled. "What?"

"Dance with me." He repeated. "Please?"

"I'm not sure I want to dance." She lied.

Knowing that she was lying, he called her on it. "Yes you do." He took a hold of her hand and helped her stand up. "Now please come dance with me?"

"Why do you want to dance with me so badly?" She asked as he led her to the dance floor.

He thought about saying it was because he loved her, but thought it might freak her out. "I just do. Humor me?"

"Ok." She accepted his answer and they started to dance. She felt his arm wrap around her waist and pull her closer to him so that their faces were only a few inches apart from each other. Unsure of what to do in this situation, she quickly turned her head and laid it on his chest since she wasn't tall enough to reach his shoulder. "The ceremony was nice."

He wasn't hoping for idle chitchat right now, but played along. "Yeah it was."

"And this reception is wonderful. I'm so glad that your Gamma allowed us to have the reception in her gardens. It was very nice of her to open up her house to strangers."

"Well you know how she is. She always liked Shelby, not as much as she liked you though. She is one of the many people in this place that thinks you're wonderful."

Between Carter's last comment and the strange way that he was looking at her, she couldn't help but feel herself blush.

During the ceremony he had resolved to tell Lucy his feelings for her, no matter what the outcome. Either she would tell him that she felt the same or she would, hopefully, let him down easy. He was fairly confident that she would tell him that she loved him too. Now he just had to get the words out. Finally, he took a deep breath and prepared to tell her. "Um, Lucy, there's something I need to talk to you about."

She pulled away from him slightly so that she could look into his face, but remained in his embrace. "Ok. What's up?"

"I've been thinking about this for a long time but I've never really known exactly how to tell you."

She eyed him suspiciously. He looked like he was about to say something serious. "Is this bad news? Should I be bracing myself for bad news?"

"No!" He laughed. "It's wonderful news. At least I think it's wonderful news. You might not, but maybe you will. Hopefully you will…"

"Ok, now you're starting to worry me. You're babbling and you never babble. I'm the one that babbles in this relationship. We can't both babble. We'd never be able to have a real conversation." They both laughed at her observation.

"Ok. I'll stop babbling." He conceded.

By this time they had stopped dancing and were standing in the middle of the dance floor. "What is going on that has you acting this weird?" Lucy asked, trying to figure him out.

Lucy was right about the babbling. She was the one who babbled. He needed to tell her before he babbled anymore. Without any preamble he blurted out, "I am completely in love with you." He then watched as she stepped backwards away from him, unable to judge what kind of reaction he was going to get from her. The look of worry that had been in her eyes was replaced with a look of utter confusion.

She couldn't believe what he just said. He did say that he loved her, right? She wasn't imagining things, was she? She quickly decided that she needed to hear it again. "What did you just say?"

"I said that I love you Lucy."

Perhaps it was her pregnancy hormones, or the fact that she didn't want to get her hopes up, but she couldn't believe that Carter was standing in front of her proclaiming his love. This was the moment that she had been wishing would happen for months. So why couldn't she allow herself to be happy?

By now, her silence spoke volumes to him. He was beginning to regret telling her he loved her because obviously she didn't feel the same way. "Aren't you going to say anything?"

"I…" Any words that she could have said left her mind before she had a chance to say them. "

Maybe he was wrong about her feelings towards him. Maybe she just loved him as a friend. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…" Before he could finish that sentence he walked away from her, leaving her alone on the dance floor.

She stood there, watching him make his way through the crowded dance floor. Part of her wanted to run after him, but the other part didn't know what to say to him. She didn't have much time to think about it though because Shelby came up and grabbed her arm.

"Hey. It's time for the throwing of the bouquet. Come get a front row position so you can catch it." Shelby smiled.

She didn't have the heart to tell Shelby no, so she let Shelby drag her over to where the other single women had gathered. While she was looking around for Carter, Shelby was busy throwing her bouquet. She wasn't even trying but somehow the bouquet ended up falling into her hands. A loud, collected sigh filled the air from the other women who were disappointed not to catch it. Lucy felt bad for them. They had tried to catch it, but even though she hadn't, somehow it came to her. Knowing that the tradition stated the woman who caught the bridal bouquet would be the next one getting married, she had to wonder if Shelby hadn't deliberately tried to throw it to her.

"So, looks like you're next." Shelby smiled as she approached Lucy.

"Did you have something to do with this?" Lucy asked, holding the bouquet up.

"Lucy, quit being so suspicious!" She joked, looking around. "Where's Carter? I thought I saw you two dancing earlier but then I lost sight of him."

"He's around here someplace I think." Lucy replied, also looking around.

Shelby eyed her carefully. "Did you two have a fight or something?"

"Or something." Lucy replied, picking off a couple of petals from the rose in the bouquet.

"Alright, spill. What happened?" She put both hands on her hips, expecting an answer.

"Nothing important." Lucy lied. "I'm sure it will be straightened out a couple of minutes. It's nothing serious and nothing that you need to worry about."

"Are you sure? Cause I don't want my best friend to be sad today."

"I'm fine. I'm not sad. I'm happy." Lucy put a smile on. "This is a happy day and you deserve to enjoy it."

She didn't exactly believe her, but decided to let it go. If Lucy wanted to handle it herself, she would let her—this one time. "Ok. I'm gonna go dance with my husband." She paused. "I have a husband. How cool is that?"

Lucy laughed. "It's very cool."

"I'll see you later." Shelby smiled before leaving to find Dave.

The smile that was on Lucy's face left as soon as Shelby was gone. Then she went back to searching for Carter. He had to be here somewhere. Maybe he was inside.

* * *

Meanwhile, Carter had gone back into the mansion and was sitting in the living room. He shouldn't have told Lucy he loved her. Or at least maybe he should have waited for a better moment. 

"What are you doing in here?" Millicent asked as she sat next to her grandson on the couch.

"Just taking a break from the party." He replied.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong Gamma. I just needed a break from everybody."

"You mean from Lucy?" Millicent asked.

"How did you…?" He should have known that his gamma would be able to figure out why he was sitting in here instead of out enjoying the party.

"Come on John, you can't fool me. I've known you your entire life and I know the way the act." She waited a moment before questioning him again. "So what happened? You two have a fight?"

"No, not really a fight." He shook his head.

"Then what?" She was trying to understand, but he wasn't giving her much information.

"I told her I loved her." He saw the confusion on her face, silently asking why that was a bad thing. "She didn't say it back to me."

"Oh." Millicent nodded, understanding what the problem was. "Well did she say anything?"

"No. She didn't say anything. She just stood there." He explained.

She wanted to tell him that Lucy did love him. It was evident to everyone who knew her, and to most strangers too. But she knew her grandson wouldn't believe her. So she started thinking about why Lucy wouldn't say anything after he professed his love to her. "Maybe she's scared."

"Of what? Me?" He laughed. "She knows I would never hurt her."

"Yes, but maybe she just isn't ready for that level yet." Millicent advised. "I'm sure she'll come around looking for you and then you two can figure this out. Just have an open mind and try to understand where she's coming from."

As if on cue, Lucy walked past the living room and stopped when she saw Carter and Millicent on the couch. "Hi."

"Hello Lucy." Millicent stood up. "If you'll excuse me, I want to get back to the party. I'll see you both later."

Once Millicent was gone, Lucy took her place on the couch next to Carter.

He noticed the bouquet. "What's with the bouquet?"

"Shelby threw the bouquet right towards me. I wasn't even paying attention but it just flew into my hands anyway."

He knew the superstition about how the woman who caught the bouquet would be the next to marry, and figured that Shelby must've aimed her throw towards Lucy on purpose.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Lucy started to speak. "I think we need to talk."

"About what?" He played innocent, not looking forward to this discussion.

"I think you know what." She took a deep breath. "You know, weddings can be a very emotional time for people. Some people have very strong emotions that get stirred up…"

"Is this the part of the speech where you tell me that I don't really love you or that you don't love me?" He interrupted, trying to figure out where she was going with this little speech she started.

She hesitated before answering. "You've been a really great, phenomenal friend to me. Words can't even begin to express how glad I am that I've had you with me. I just can't help but think that maybe you're confusing friendship love with relationship love."

"I'm not. I know that I love you. I've loved you for a really long time Luce, maybe even my entire life."

"I really want to believe you. I really do." She started to cry. "You have no idea how much I want to believe you, but…"

"But what?" He moved to wipe off the tears from her face. "What can I do to prove to you that I really do love you?" Suddenly, he realized why she was having such a hard time believing him. "Is it because of the baby? Is that why you won't believe me?"

"Maybe." She replied softly. "I don't want you to feel pressured into anything because I don't want to pressure you."

"But you're not. It was my choice to become a father to your child. I mean it was even my idea! You haven't pressured me into doing anything I haven't wanted to do." He made her look him in the eye and took both of her hands in his. This was his chance to convince her. It was either now or never. "Why do you think I wanted to be the father so badly? It's not because I'm that great of a friend. We both know I don't have a very good track record as your friend. I'm not some saint of a friend who only wanted to help you. I had selfish motives too. I love you and I wanted to be a part of your life. I want to help you raise this child and I want you."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked after taking a few moments to fully absorb what he was telling her.

"I'm completely, 100 sure." He smiled.

She smiled. "You want me?"

He nodded and slowly brought his lips to meet hers. It was a short kiss, but filled with love and passion. "I want you."

"Even though I'm fat right now?" She licked her lips, hoping that he'd kiss her again.

"You're beautiful." He then whispered into her ear, "always have been and always will be." Right now the only thing he wanted to do was kiss her so he leaned in to kiss her, but she pulled away. Confused, he asked, "what's wrong?"

She gave him a sheepish grin and shrugged her shoulders. "I forgot to tell you something."

"Can't it wait until later?" He asked impatiently. Moving in to kiss her again, he became frustrated that she pulled away again.

"It really can't wait. I've waited too long as it is." She explained.

"Ok." He conceded.

"I think you'll like hearing this." She scooted closer to him so that there was very little space between them. "I love you."

A huge smile broke out on his face. "I love you too." Pulling her even closer to him, he started kissing her passionately. And in that moment, everything was perfect.


End file.
